QUEST FOR THE LUNATI TREASURE
Episode #17
"Fight Club"
The long-abandoned shoe factory in the heart of Silver City's warehouse district had been devoid of electrical power for years. But the lack of one kind of power didn't mean that those within the factory's four walls were powerless.
John "Bishop" Malcolm Jr. ran at top speed through the darkened factory, faster than he had ever run before. He flew up a metal staircase at the front of the factory, quickly reaching the top level. As his feet hit the floor, he continued at the exact same pace, steadying his breathing with every extension of his legs. As his arms swung at his sides, he kept his eyes moving forward.
Despite the darkness inside the factory, Bishop knew where he was going and didn't pause for anything. He had run this course for over a week. Soon, he had passed through a doorway into a secluded room. When Bishop finally came to a stop, his feet remained still on the floor for only a second. He leapt into the air, grabbing hold of a maintenance ladder that led to the roof.
Without missing a beat, he used his strength to pull his weight up on the ladder. He continued the pull-ups, steadily breathing in and our, ignoring the sweat that rolled down his face. Ever since he could crawl out of bed, he was doing something to get his body back to where it needed to be. He had battles to fight and a war to win.
After finishing that portion of his routine, Bishop's feet once again hit the floor. He dropped to the floor completely on his chest and began doing push-ups, staring straight ahead, his eyes burning with anger and disappointment. Bishop felt his destiny had been put on hold for too long. He had made too many mistakes, but was determined to correct his biggest error.
He knew that resting on a metal cot wasn't going to get him there. So, he continued to fight, training his body and preparing for his revenge.
Two floors below him, Tarok gently held Addie's hand as he stood behind her, guiding her fingers. Addie's eyes were closed, but she was visualizing the lead pipe in her head. The pipe lay on top of a metal table.
Tarok could feel the energy within Addie's soul, as she focused on the object with her mind.
"Now take control of it," Tarok said, quietly whispering into Addie's ear.
The pipe moved a bit. She could hear the pipe sliding on the metal table. Addie held her breath, as she could feel the power within her beginning to manifest itself.
"Lift it," Tarok urged, his voice still as loud as a whisper.
Addie's eyes closed tighter, as she felt the darkness starting to overtake her.
"I—I can't," Addie said, struggling to maintain her composure. "I don't like—"
"Take it!" Tarok yelled into her ear.
Addie began to moan loudly, trying to hold in the scream she wanted to let free. The power was overtaking her.
Bishop appeared in the doorway behind them. As he used a towel to wipe the sweat from his body, he watched, surprised at what he saw. He stepped inside the doorway, worried for his sister's safety, given the pressure he could see her under. But before Bishop could move towards her, the pipe from the table rose and flew through the air. The pipe moved at lightspeed towards Tarok's head, stopping only inches away from the Lunati man's temple.
Tarok gasped in shock, letting go of Addie's hand. She instantly bent over, fighting the energy within her. As she regained her composure the pipe fell to the floor, allowing Tarok to breath again. Addie turned to face him and in that moment, she saw her brother standing in the doorway.
"Bishop," Addie called out, surprised to see him standing there.
Tarok turned quickly to see the Black Hunter walking towards them.
"What's going on?" Bishop asked, showing Tarok his annoyance.
"Uh, Tarok was helping me to focus my energy," Addie said quickly. "It's a little off."
"I'll say," Bishop said.
"Addie's training has been quite beneficial since your injury," Tarok explained.
"Well, I'm good now," Bishop said. "So I suggest we focus on our next move."
"Are you sure?" Addie said, as she walked over to Bishop. "I mean you've only been up and around a few days."
"I've been out of the game too long," Bishop said, seriously. "I need to move."
"Hmm," Tarok said, with a grin. "My Lunati senses have been heightened recently. I believe I may know be sensing a hidden spring, a source of my people's sacred water."
"Sacred water?" Addie said, appearing confused.
"Lunati water has special capabilities for different types of humanoids. For some, it has healing properties," Tarok revealed. "The water is vital in the hunt for the treasure. Once all of the pieces have been assembled, I must drink this special water from the chalice. It gives the holder of the treasure the energy they need to handle the massive power."
"Sounds heavy," Bishop said, before grinning slyly. "When do we leave?"
Jessica Lorrie led the way, slowly inching through the dense trees of the rainforest. With her tracker open and active in her hand, she kept her eyes forward, knowing it would alert her if it got close enough to her target.
As she stepped carefully over several rocks on the uneven ground, she heard the heavy grunt of her traveling partner behind her. She heard running water in the distance and came to a stop, as she saw a small river blocking their path. She let out a slight sigh and turned back to see Chris Hartford trip once again.
"You really are a city boy," Jessica said, with a smirk.
"I don't see why we couldn't just fly the Silverhawk all the way to the source of the signal," Chris said, annoyed, as he rubbed his sore ankle.
"Look around, Chris," Jessica said, happily. "There's nowhere to land around here."
Chris grunted in frustration, as he leaned up against a large rock at the side of the river.
"It's so beautiful out here. Can't you just enjoy it? It's kinda nice to be out of the city for once," Jessica said, as she knelt down near the river and slowly ran her fingers through the cool water.
"Yeah, whatever," Chris said.
"I think you're just upset because you're not back in Silver City, wishing and hoping for Addie Malcolm to pop up," Jessica spoke, her voice conveying her annoyance.
"What?" Chris said, looking shocked. "No, I'm not!"
"You can't fool me, Hartford," Jessica said, as she stood back up and began walking along the river, where she could hear the running water getting louder.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Chris said, as he began to follow Jessica once again. "I can't help it if I'm irresistible."
Jessica turned back to show him her sour face.
"Oh please," Jessica said. "Addie hasn't been around a man who wasn't her brother since she hit puberty!"
Chris's face contorted.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he said, looking confused.
Jessica reached the end of the path next to the river. The sound of the water getting louder was because the river ended at the edge of a mountain. She glanced at the water rushing over the edge just a few feet in front of her. It was a beautiful site. She could hear Chris walking closer to her, so engrossed in their conversation that he didn't even sense the upcoming waterfall. Jessica turned to block his path.
"What that means is that it's slim pickings for a girl like her," Jessica said, with a smile. "I'm just glad we aren't all in such dire situations."
Jessica began to laugh as she saw Chris frowning at her playful teasing.
"Think what you want," Chris said. "But you and I both know the truth."
"What's that?" she asked.
"You're just jealous because you don't have any prospects yourself," Chris said, with a devilish grin.
Jessica's jaw dropped in shock. She was about to tell him the real truth when something caught her eye behind him. Her eyes grew wide as she saw the figure that had crept up behind Chris.
"Look out!" Jessica shouted, pushing Chris to the ground.
Bishop Malcolm stood fully morphed. Beneath his helmet, he let out an evil laugh as he swung his turbine crusher. The hammer-shaped weapon swung for Chris, but he had fallen to the ground, thanks to Jessica. The weapon struck the ground near Jessica's feet knocking her backwards and over the cliff.
As Jessica screamed, she felt a hand grab hold of her own. She looked up as she hung from the side of the raging waterfall. Chris had managed to grab onto her at the last second.
"Hold on!" he shouted.
"I wish I could say the same for you, loverboy!" Bishop shouted as he stepped to Chris's side.
He lifted his turbine crusher in the air and drove it into the ground, causing the entire mountainside to begin to crumble.
"Chris!" Jessica shouted, as he lost his grip on her, causing her to fall into oblivion.
As the rocks, dirt and water collapsed beneath him, Chris Hartford found himself also falling. The only thing he could hear was the laugh of Bishop Malcolm above him.
"Bishop!" Chris shoouted.
Bishop heard Chris calling out his name, echoing in his brain, as he watched the two Rangers fall.
"Bishop!"
"Bishop!" Addie called out, knocking her brother from his daydream.
He scored one final punch on the homemade punching bag that the two Karths held in front of him. The force of his punch, sent the two Karths to the floor along with the bag. Bishop turned to see his sister walking towards him.
"What?" he said, finally regaining all of his focus on the present.
"Are you okay?" Addie asked. "You seemed like you were in another world."
"I'm fine," Bishop said, seriously. "I was just concentrating."
"Well, give the Karths a rest. We may need them out there," Addie said.
"Tarok can make more," Bishop said, as he turned to see the two creatures scurrying away quickly to avoid anymore of his training regimen. "Besides I want to be ready."
"Ready for what?" Addie said. "We're just going to collect some water."
"You never know who we might run into along the way," Bishop said, as he thought back to his fantasy from a few moments earlier.
"Tarok doesn't think there will be trouble," Addie said.
"It doesn't matter what Tarok thinks," Bishop said, as his demeanor grew more intense.
He walked closer to his sister and stared into her eyes.
"I don't like you getting so chummy with him either," Bishop said, sternly.
"I'm not," Addie said quickly. "He's just trying to help—"
"We don't need Tarok's help!" Bishop said, in a furious whisper so that no one would hear him. "Remember our plans."
"It's not like I can forget," Addie said.
"You better not," Bishop said. "We don't need anyone but each other—not anyone!"
Bishop's words resonated within Addie just as he hoped they would. But he wasn't sure if she realized that he wasn't just speaking about Tarok. He hoped that she understood that he didn't want her to seek the help of Chris Hartford either.
Jessica Lorrie and Chris Hartford continued their hike through the wilderness of the Peruvian rainforest, keeping close together. Jessica held her tracker tight in her hand, as she pushed away the foliage with her other. As she reached a clearing in the trees, she pressed a button on the tracker and held it close to her mouth.
"Is the channel still clear, Dr. Hartford?" she called out.
"Yes, I can hear everything perfectly," Ian said from the other end, as he sat in the Tracking Lab back in Silver City.
"Just checking," Jessica said. "It looks like we're approaching a more secluded area. I hope the signal holds."
"Well, you're getting closer to the Lunati signal as well," Ian said. "It shouldn't be much further."
"I still don't see what he could be doing all the way out here," Chris said, annoyed as he almost tripped over a rock on the uneven terrain.
"That's what we're here to find out," Jessica said, as she continued on with excitement in her voice. "I think it's kinda nice to be out of the city for a change."
"Well, the last time we were in a rainforest my leg was almost sliced off so you can imagine my reluctance," Chris said. "I'm surprised you were so eager to leave town anyway."
"Why?" Jessica said.
"It's highly unlikely we'll run into a certain police detective out here in the middle of the Amazon," Chris said, with a smirk.
Jessica stopped in her tracks and turned to face him.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.
"I don't know. You tell me," Chris said, curiously. "You two have been coming to each others' rescue an awful lot lately."
Jessica took a deep breath. She was sure she could hide her nervousness over the subject. She didn't want to discuss Garza, especially with Ian Hartford listening in. Anything she revealed about their relationship could cause Ian to pay Garza more attention and that could lead to the discovery that Garza's family ring was in fact the Lunati pendant. She glared back at Chris.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Jessica said. "Personally, I think you're just jealous."
Jessica turned and continued on her way. Chris smirked once again.
"Jealous…of Garza?" Chris said, with a chuckle. "I thought you knew me better than that."
Jessica could feel her blood starting to boil. She turned back to Chris quickly.
"And what exactly is wrong with Detective Garza?" she said, loudly and angrily.
Chris was taken aback by her change in tone and demeanor.
"Sounds like I touched a nerve," Chris said. "You really do like him, don't you?"
Jessica groaned in annoyance, just as Ian's voice came through on her tracker.
"I hate to break up this heart-to-heart but the signal is getting awfully strong," Ian called out. "You should be within visual range of them."
Jessica glanced down at her tracker and saw that Ian was correct. She grabbed Chris's arm and pulled him down towards the ground with her.
"They're traveling right below us," Jessica whispered to Chris, as they crept closer to the signal.
She could hear the sound of a running waterfall as they got closer to the edge. She peeked over the cliff and that was when she spotted the figures they had been searching for. She smiled as she glanced back at Chris. He took up a spot next to her and he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Zel walking on the ground at the bottom of the mountainside where the waterfall flowed.
"Is that a leash?" Chris whispered to Jessica.
Jessica shook her head. It appeared that Zel was leading Drakar somewhere. The Ferum leader had a chain around the creature's neck. Drakar was holding tight to his end. In fact it was attached to his wrist, keeping a constant link between the two. Zel pointed at the waterfall, as he lowered his head in shame. Drakar let out a triumphant laugh.
"Why's he pointing to the water?" Chris wondered.
Jessica glanced to her side at the stream of water that ran past them and over the mountainside, creating the waterfall. She scanned it with her tracker.
"That's why they're out here," she said, as she got the reading. "Dr. Hartford, are you getting this scan?"
"Yes," Ian said, his voice full of wonder. "The Lunati water."
"He used Zel to find it," Chris said, still angry that Drakar had stolen Zel from them. "Let's go."
"Wait," Jessica said, pulling Chris back down.
"Why? We can take him. We have the element of surprise," Chris said. "He's not expecting a thing."
"Because…we're not alone," Jessica said, as she picked up another reading on her tracker.
The approaching signals weren't Lunati. They were identical to the signals emitted by their trackers when they were morphed. Jessica leaned closer to Chris, allowing him to see her tracker. Chris let out a disappointing sigh. The two jumped to their feet, quickly turning their backs on the cliff, just as the Black & Yellow hunters appeared in front of them. Chris couldn't hide his disbelief at seeing them alive and well.
"You're in our way," Bishop said, as he held his turbine crusher, resting it on his shoulder with Addie at his side.
"Long time, no see," Chris said, staring squarely at Addie.
He wished he could see her reaction behind her helmet.
"Too long if you ask me," Bishop said, as he swung his turbine crusher at the two.
Chris & Jessica dove out of the way of his strike.
"Oh no," Ian said, as he sat in his chair in the lab, with the headset and microphone on his head, listening to everything that was happening.
Nearby, Spencer was dusting the lab when he heard the fear in Ian's voice and walked over.
"Is there a problem, sir?" Spencer asked.
"A big one," Ian said, listening intently to what happened on the other end of the communications link.
Jessica landed right in the stream of water flowing quickly towards the cliff's edge. Chris landed near a large rock and pulled out his tracker, sliding it open and activating it, as he ran it across the rock.
"Start up!" he yelled, instantly morphing into the Red Ranger.
In the stream, Jessica tried to get to her feet but the Yellow Ranger was right on top of her. Addie had pulled her hand blaster in sword mode. She drove the weapon down at Jessica, whose tracker was already opened. She pressed the activation button. As the blaster sword came down towards her head, she used the tracker to block it, running the device along the blade, causing her to morph instantly.
The force of the morph caused Addie to stagger backwards, allowing the Pink Ranger to get to her feet, unholstering her own weapon. The two traded blows, as the Black hunter began battling the Red Ranger.
"Power staff!" Chris shouted, causing his weapon to materialize in front of him.
He grabbed hold of the staff, just as Bishop's turbine crusher was coming down at him. Chris blocked the assault, but found himself unable to fully push Bishop away. The Black hunter seemed stronger than Chris remembered and he could hear the furious grunts of his opponent as he pushed Chris closer towards the ground, overpowering him.
Over Bishop's shoulder, Chris caught sight of the Jessica & Addie's fight. Jessica was gaining the upperhand and had twisted Addie around. The two traded blows that sent Addie closer and closer to the edge of the waterfall.
"Addie—watch—out," Chris grunted through the pain of his own predicament.
This phrase caught Bishop off-guard. He turned his head to see his sister getting too close to the waterfall's edge.
"No!" Bishop shouted.
Addie blocked another blow from Jessica's blaster sword, but she swiftly twirled around, using the weapont o slash at Addie's chest, causing her to fly backwards over the cliff. Jessica rushed to the edge and saw the Yellow Ranger fall into the river below. Before she could turn around, Jessica was hit.
Bishop had pulled his hand blaster and fired it on the Pink Ranger from behind, sending her flying over the edge as well. The two female fighters both crashed into the river below. Chris used Bishop's distraction to push him away, swiping at him with the power staff, but the Black hunter ducked the blow and slammed his turbine crusher into a nearby tree, causing it to fall near the Red Ranger, who dove away just in time.
Down below, Drakar had been watching their efforts closely. Zel had also perked up greatly. He watched as Jessica & Addie both used their powers to fly out of the water and onto the ground nearby, where they continued their battle. Zel tried to walk towards her, only to feel the chain around his neck pulling him back towards Drakar.
This was no ordinary chain. The yanking motion by Drakar caused an electrical surge to travel through the chain, zapping Zel at the neck, causing an intense pain to shoot through his body.
"We have water to collect!" Drakar shouted to him, forcing him to refocus on their task.
They approached the area where the water fell down the mountainside. Drakar knew that was where the water was most potent. Once it merged with the stream by their feet, the water would become contaminated with the impurities of regular water and become useless.
"Yes," he said. "This is it!"
At that moment, an electrical surge seemed to surround them. This time it wasn't coming from Zel's chain. Blue lightning streaks appeared all around the two, as Tarok appeared behind them. Drakar turned as he heard the evil chuckle of his enemy.
"You are not the only one who seeks the sacred water!" Tarok shouted, as he raised his hand towards Drakar, sending a wave of lightning energy directly at him.
Drakar yanked quickly on Zel's chain, intensifying the surge sent to him and forcing him to transform back into the Lunati sword. With one swift motion, Drakar had the sword in his hand and used it to capture the energy from Tarok's blast. Drakar aimed the sword back at the Lunati mystic and sent the surge back at him. Tarok levitated off the ground, avoiding the blast, which destroyed several trees instantly.
Up above on the mountainside, Chris stormed towards Bishop, with his power staff firmly gripped in his hand. He swung at the Black hunter, who used his turbine crusher to block the attempt. He swung around quickly, sending his weapon directly into the chest of the Red Ranger. The force of the turbine crusher hitting his stomach sent the Red Ranger flying down over the mountainside. Bishop watched happily as the Red Ranger collided with a huge tree down below, breaking it instantly.
Bishop spotted his sister in the distance, still fighting the Pink Ranger. He jumped down off the mountainside, refocusing his attention on Hartford. With his weapon still drawn he began walking closer to the Red Ranger, just as three swirls of wind blew past him at the speed of light, catching him off-guard. The waves of air were not simple wind, however, and his suit instantly lit up with damage, as he seemed to be struck by something within the wind gusts.
Bishop fell to his knees, as he saw the swirls of wind come together several feet in front of him. He groaned in pain as he saw Dark Shadow appear there. The morphed Blue Ranger materialized from the gust of wind, with Taiyami and Miko at his sides. The owl Waza fluttered down towards them seemingly out of nowhere. Bishop grunted in anger.
"Mind if we play through?" Evan spoke from beneath his helmet, with a chuckle.
Evan Yukito rested his hand blaster sword on his shoulder with his right hand, as his left rested in his hip. Although Bishop couldn't see his face behind his helmet's visor, he could feel the cocky confidence exuding from Dark Shadow's leader. He pounded his fist on the ground, furious that he hadn't seen the attack coming.
"Waza, Miko, the water," Evan ordered.
Miko nodded to him before trotting off, with her long wooden staff firmly in her hands. Waza flew off by her side, headed towards the bottom of the waterfall.
Evan looked back at Bishop who was almost to his feet. The Blue hunter took an offensive stance, pointing his weapon directly at the Black hunter, just as Taiyami stepped up next to him, placing a firm hand on his shoulder, drawing Evan's attention.
"Leave him to me!" Taiyami said, sternly.
Bishop grunted even louder, as he stomped his feet into the ground, gripping his turbine crusher even tighter.
"Be my guest," Evan said, as he glanced across the stream, seeing Tarok & Drakar fighting and the Ferum leader holding the Lunati sword.
Evan chuckled, as he took off running in their direction.
"Now, Black hunter, we will see what you're really made of!" Taiyami said, as he pulled his twin blades from behind his back, focused on his opponent.
Bishop let out a fierce battle cry and took off running towards the ninja master. Taiyami brought the blades together, building up his energy and sending a large ball of blue energy towards the Black hunter's feet. Bishop took off into the air, raising his turbine crusher above his head, as he came down towards Taiyami.
The ninja crossed his blades, blocking the attack quickly. He sent one foot into the chest of the Black hunter, sending Bishop back into the air backwards. Taiyami built up more energy, seeing Bishop in a tailspin.
"Paper crane attack!" Taiyami yelled, as a swarm of brightly-colored paper cranes appeared at his sides.
He guided them with his arms, sending them directly into the body of the flying Black hunter. Bishop's body lit up with damage from the explosive cranes and he crashed to the ground, with Taiyami standing tall. The villainous warrior let out a chuckle of his own.
"Just as I suspected," he spoke to his fallen prey.
As Tarok and Drakar continued to battle on the other side of the river, the Lunati man found himself no match for his king's weaponry. Several Karths had come to his aide, taking on Drakar, who swiftly swatted them away with the Lunati sword. Each of the struck Karths instantly crumbled to dust after being hit. Tarok gasped.
As another Karth stepped up in front of him to protect him, Tarok grabbed the creature around the neck and began a quick chant.
"Somaytum, rumityn, omajum," Tarok said, in a practical whisper.
The Karth transformed within his grasp, leaving behind a stone sword in Tarok's hands. He screamed out in fury, as he stabbed it at Drakar, who quickly ducked away, bringing Zel down towards Tarok, who blocked the attack with his new weapon.
With their intense fighting continued, neither of them noticed the Blue hunter, as he hovered over the water using his Hover Strike. With his hand blaster sword in his free hand, he landed right between the two faction leaders. He used the blaster sword to block Tarok's sword, as he pointed the hover strike at Drakar, sending him flying backwards, as his body sparked with the wind energy damage.
Evan turned his full attention to Tarok, who gasped in shock.
"Dark Shadow!" Tarok yelled, as he tried to swipe at the Blue hunter again.
Evan blocked the strike, kicking Tarok in the stomach.
"How?!" Tarok yelled, as he held his stomach.
The Blue hunter laughed, as he walked closer to him, seeing the increased amount of Karths that had just shown up in the area.
"Let's just say the soldiers you gave us got a little homesick and came looking for daddy," Evan said, confidently. "They led us right to the party!"
Tarok sent a wave of lightning energy from his palm, but Evan quickly blocked it with his hover strike, sending the energy right back at Tarok, who collapsed from being struck with his own energy.
Evan chuckled triumphantly.
"Party's over!" Drakar shouted.
Evan turned quickly, only to be faced with Drakar wielding the Lunati sword. The Ferum leader brought the weapon down, straight across the Blue hunter's chest, sending a massive wave of energy through his suit, which practically exploded from the damage, sending him to the ground. Drakar stood tall for only a moment, as the increased level of Karths all focused on him. Drakar grunted in anger, as he fought them off.
"Now!" Drakar shouted, calling upon his secret weapons.
A small army of Draggs appeared from their hiding places and began to help their master fight off the horde of Karths.
Back on the other side of the river, Bishop had fought his way back to his feet, trading blows with his opponent. Neither of them seemed to be getting the upper hand, as their battle and focus intensified.
Then, several huge laser blasts collided with the ground near their feet, causing both of the fighters to take cover. Bishop looked up first, seeing the source of the blasts come walking through the dense patch of trees. He seethed as he saw the smoking blaster in the hands of Chris Hartford.
The Red Ranger emerged, with his blaster still focused on both of them.
"Haven't you learned you should never start a fight without finishing the last one?" Chris asked, as he took off running towards the two, transforming his blaster into sword mode.
Bishop grunted in anger, as he pulled his own blaster sword. The Red Ranger swiped at him quickly, but Bishop blocked the blow with his weapon. Both Rangers spun around at the exact same time. Chris ducked Bishop's swipe with his sword and scored a kick, sending Bishop's weapon flying out of his hand. Bishop grunted in anger as he began fiercely punching at the Red Ranger. Chris, however, managed to dodge each of the assaults, except for the last which sent him staggering away from Bishop.
"I don't appreciate interruptions!" Taiyami yelled, as he locked eyes with the Red Ranger.
The ancient ninja warrior stepped right up to Chris. He had brought his identical blades together to form his naginata, which he swiped at the Red Ranger's chest, sending him flying straight across the river, as his chest lit up with sparks of damage. Chris flew right into the middle of the fight between Drakar, Evan and Tarok, which had been reignited.
All four of their blades came down at him at once. Chris brought his blaster sword up above his head to block them, but the force of the three weapons completely broke his own, allowing him only a second to roll out of the way. He pulled his Power Staff once again, setting his sights on the threesome.
"I guess it's time to even the odds," Chris said, running back into the fray.
His staff collided with Evan's blaster sword, knocking it away. The Blue hunter twisted around, causing him to be back-to-back with Chris, just as Tarok and Drakar attacked at the same time. Evan brought his blaster sword up, blocking the blows from Tarok, as Chris used his Power Staff to hold off Drakar's attacks with Zel.
"You've got something that doesn't belong to you!" Chris shouted at Drakar, as he matched him blow for blow.
"It won't belong to you either when by the end of the day," Evan yelled from right behind Chris.
"We'll see," Chris chuckled, as he fiercely fought back against Drakar.
Back in the Tracking Lab, Ian continued to listen intently.
"Come on, Chris," he said under his breath.
Spencer, however, heard every word.
At the foot of the waterfall, Waza diligently collected water into a small blue vase that fit snugly within his claws, as his wings flapped in the breeze. As he filled the vase, he glanced down at Miko by the river's edge, as she used her wooden staff to fight off a couple of the recently-arrived Draggs. He watched as Miko knocked one of the lizard creatures across the face with her weapon, before sending a kick into the chest of the other, who also went flying.
Then, Waza saw a greater danger coming straight towards her.
"Miko, watch out!" Waza called out.
Miko turned to see the Pink Ranger and Yellow hunter fighting right towards her spot, practically knocking her over. Miko scored a spin kick on Jessica, hitting her helmet, which caused her to flip away. Addie, however, was right there. She brought her hand blaster sword down towards Miko, who blocked it with her staff. As the two jockeyed for control, Waza filled the vase completely and dropped a cork into it to seal it tight. He began flying towards Miko to provide backup.
Jessica, however, had other plans. Seeing the formation that Miko & Addie had created to block each other's strike, she smiled as she took off running. She flipped into the air, landing right on their weapons, using them to propel her higher into the air.
"Thanks for the boost!" Jessica shouted, as she flew through the air, straight towards Waza.
The owl was caught off-guard as the Pink Ranger came flying past, grabbing the blue vase from his grip. Jessica landed on the other side of the river, with the sacred water in her hands.
Miko saw this and let out a furious scream. Addie took her chance and spun around, kicking Miko into the water. She quickly got back to her feet, despite being completely drenched. Addie & Jessica both focused on one another, on opposite sides of the water. They both took to the air, with their blaster swords drawn. They brought the blades down at the same time that their bodies landed in the water, with Miko right between them. Miko raised her wooden staff, catching both blades on either side of her. She kicked Jessica in the midsection, sending her flying into the waterfall.
Miko used her momentum to knock Addie back a few paces. She reached into the pouch on her belt and pulled a small pellet out. Miko threw it at Addie, causing her suit to spark with damage from the small energy ball. Miko smiled widely, before turning back to the Pink Ranger, who emerged from the waterfall. She lunged towards Miko, but Waza attacked Jessica, clawing at her helmet and distracting her from her target.
Miko ran over, grabbing for the vase, which the Pink Ranger refused to let go of. The two members of Dark Shadow continued to fight with her over the vile, as the ground around them started to shake violently, causing them all to lose their balance. In fact, the ground seemed to be shaking beneath all of the fighters.
As they all struggled to keep their balance, Addie was able to knock Miko back into the water, allowing her to go after the vase of water Jessica was carrying as well. Meanwhile, all of the male fighters had their eyes on the approaching monstrosity that had caused the quakes.
Several trees were forced to create a path as the large hulking machine stormed into the area. The massive robot looked almost like a military soldier, with its green helmet, red visor and black metal mouthpiece that resembled an oxygen mask. The beastly apparatus carried major firepower. A large square cannon was mounted on each of the creature's shoulders. Each of the cannons held six golden bombs ready to inflict even more destruction. The robot's black and silver body was also complimented with two large laser pistols mounted to each arm.
Inside the cockpit of the robot, the Ja'Vey demons, Abaddon and Gadarel sat side-by-side, working the creature's controls. Peeking out of the robot's red visor, Abaddon saw the waterfall in his sites.
"The Lunati spring is just where I remembered it," Abaddon called out.
"And look!" Gadarel squealed with delight upon seeing the figures on the ground around the waterfall. "Some smaller targets have gathered to give us even more practice!"
Abaddon & Gadarel both howled with glee. The two had planned to try out their new zord by destroying a formidable target, like the last remaining spring of the Lunati's sacred water, but had found they were not alone in seeking the water. Destroying that waterfall would render the Lunati water useless to all of them, which would ultimately put the user of the Lunati treasure in even more danger of destruction by accessing the Lunati treasure's power without drinking the sacred water.
"Oh no!" Ian shouted in the Tracking Lab, as he heard the decree from the Ja'Vey along with everyone on the battlefield. "They're going to destroy the water."
Spencer sat in the chair next to his monitor, as Ian paid no attention, keeping all of his energy in his ears to hear what was happening in South America. The large zord began to move closer to the waterfall.
Miko's head bobbed up from the water, allowing her to spit out a mouthfull of the liquid. Her eyes grew wide, as she saw the zord heading towards the waterfall behind her. She let out a piercing scream, as Waza swooped down, lifting her out of the water with his claws.
From inside their cockpit, Abaddon and Gadarel both locked onto their target, looking forward to the collateral damage as much as destroying the Lunati spring.
"They have to stop them!" Ian said, desperately grabbing the microphone attached to his headset. "Chris, Jessica, do something!"
Ian was in such a panic that he didn't notice the monitor right in front of him.
"Uh sir," Spencer said, glancing at the screen.
"Not now!" Ian snapped at him. "The Rangers need help."
"Sir!" Spencer spoke even louder, as he pointed to the screen. "It appears help is on the way!"
Ian's eyes drifted to the computer screen, just as he heard the sirens coming through loud and clear on his headset.
The Patrol Triad came into view and the three zords quickly transformed into the massive Triad Megazord. Behind the wheel of the zord, the Silver Ranger sat with his eyes intently focused on the Ja'Vey and their new toy. The megazord had barely formed fully before Garza opened fire on the Ja'Vey's robot, causing it to stagger away from the waterfall a bit.
"Garza!" Abaddon shouted from inside. "How?!"
"You didn't honestly think I wouldn't notice a giant metal robot leaving Silver City, did you?" Garza said, confidently.
Keeping a sensor on the figures on the ground so he didn't accidentally stomp an innocent, Garza piloted the Triad Megazord, bringing it closer to the Ja'Vey's robot, allowing him to attempt several punches. After the first one connected, causing sparks to fly out of the chest of the robot, Abaddon & Gadarel regained control and began to block his blows, matching them, with the use of their own zord's agility.
On the ground, Jessica quickly fought off Miko's attempt to grab the vase of water from her hand. She scored a kick, sending her flying right into Waza. Jessica turned her attentions to the zord battle occuring high above the ground.
'Stephen,' she said to herself, glad to see Garza on the scene.
This distraction, however, allowed Addie to take advantage. The Yellow hunter grabbed the Pink Ranger by the shoulder, whipping her around. Addie slashed her across the chest with her hand blaster in sword mode, causing the Pink Ranger's suit to ignite with damage. She collapsed to the ground and Addie swiped the vase of water from her and rushed off. Jessica fought to her feet, just as Addie threw a handful of stones onto the ground around Jessica. The stones quickly transformed into another contingent of Karths, whom Jessica was forced to fight off, allowing Addie to escape.
Addie kept running, as she caught sight of Bishop fighting off Taiyami in the distance. She transformed her blaster and fired it at the blue ninja as she got closer, catching him off-guard. Taiyami's body began to spark with a bit of damage. Bishop turned to see his sister run right past him, using her blaster to block Taiyami's naginata attack. She pushed it away and twirled around firing her blaster right into his chest. Taiyami went flying backwards, crashing into a mound of trees that had been knocked over by the Ja'Vey's robot.
The Black hunter walked up to his sister and grabbed her arm.
"What do you think you're doing?" he shouted.
"Helping you out," Addie said, quickly.
"I've got it under control," Bishop said.
"Not anymore!" Taiyami yelled, as the two of them turned to see he was back on his feet.
Taiyami aimed his naginata at the two, as he whizzed past them at the speed of the wind gust that carried him. They both lit up with damage instantly, as his wind power zipped around both of Tarok's warriors.
The vase of Lunati water flew out of Addie's hand, landing on the ground nearby.
Jessica slashed her blaster sword at the last of the Karths in front of her and ran for the vase. She leaned down to pick it up, just as she saw a well-manicured hand going for the same spot. She grabbed Miko's hand moving her away. Jessica kicked the villainess in the chest, sending her flying backwards.
"Noooo!" Miko squealed as she landed back in the river.
She pulled herself up, splashing in the water, as she began punching at it in frustration. Jessica grabbed the vase, as she saw Taiyami headed directly for her. She took off running.
On the other side of the river, Chris continued to fight off Drakar fiercely, as he kept an eye on Evan Yukito boldly battling with Tarok nearby. Chris could feel the intense pressure of Zel within Drakar's grasp, as he fought off his attacks.
Not realizing Jessica had already gotten her hands on a vase of the water, Ian Hartford called out to his son, hearing his brawl with Drakar intensifying.
"Chris, don't forget that water!" Ian said. "You have to get it directly from the waterfall. The river water is already tainted."
"One mission at a time, dad," Chris grunted in annoyance.
He pushed Drakar off and grabbed at Zel, but the sword was still connected to Drakar's wrist by the chain that allowed him to control Zel, who was now fully locked into his position as the sword.
Chris still felt guilty over losing Zel to Drakar and he wanted him back.
"The zord battle could get out of hand quickly," Ian said. "We can't risk losing all of the water."
"I wish we had a megazord of our own to tip things in our favor," Spencer said, solemnly.
"Don't bet on it," Ian said, as he glanced at his butler. "The only way we'd have megazord capabilities is if all five of the trackers were used together to transform the zords."
Spencer quickly huffed.
"I guess it will remain wishful thinking then," he said, knowing that it was impossible for the five Rangers out there to ever work together.
Chris found himself once again under the force of the Lunati sword coming down on him. He seemed to be losing leverage, as he used his power staff to block Drakar's assault. Then, Drakar was lit up from behind by laser fire. The Ferum leader let up on Chris and turned to see the Blue hunter standing with his hand blaster aimed at Drakar.
Evan Yukito quickly transformed the weapon into sword mode and went on an assault of his own, blocking Drakar's attempts to use Zel against him. Chris joined in, causing a double-team effort.
Tarok watched from afar and smiled widely at the Blue hunter's change in focus. He scurried over to the water fall and pulled a silver vase from underneath his robes. Tarok began to diligently fill it with water. Once it had been completely filled, he sealed the vase. Across the river, the Pink Ranger spied his efforts. She called upon her special weapon.
"Hydro Cannon!" Jessica shouted, getting Tarok's attention.
She fired the weapon at the river just below Tarok. The electrified liquid blasts struck the water, causing a wave to wash over Tarok, knocking him over. Before Jessica could go after his vase, however, Taiyami had caught up to her. He whipped her around but Jessica fired the hydro cannon directly into his chest, sending him flying a few feet off the ground at high speeds back in the direction he had come from.
Taiyami flew through the air, crashing through a few Karths. Bishop & Addie were back on their feet and Bishop was still berating her for interfering in his fight, as Taiyami came flying towards them.
"Bish!" Addie shouted, as she pointed behind Bishop.
The Black hunter reacted quickly, grabbing his sister's arm and flying into the air, as Taiyami went crashing into the trees once again, sparking with damage from Jessica's weapon. Addie & Bishop landed on top of the mountainside, where the waterfall began. It was at that moment, that Bishop got a good look at the hulking zord belonging to the Ja'Vey. A flood of memories poured into his head as he thought back to his injury.
The Ja'Vey demon threw Addie towards her brother. Bishop caught her, as she stumbled to the ground.
"So you will all be guinea pigs instead!" Abaddon revealed.
"What are you talking about?" Tarok wondered.
"I'm talking about more power!" Abaddon yelled, as he pulled his twin blasters out.
He jumped out of the cavern's entranceway and fired at the top it if, causing several stone pieces to fall, blocking their exit. The three were trapped inside.
"What did he mean?" Bishop asked aloud, as he looked over at Tarok. "What did he mean?!"
As a rumbling was heard, getting louder by the second, Tarok's eyes grew wider.
"We must get out of here!" Tarok shouted, as he headed for the entrance, which was still blocked.
Before he could focus his own power to remove the slabs of rock that blocked their way, he remembered the crown. Tarok shuffled back over to his stone altar to grab it, as Bishop helped Addie to her feet. At that moment, the ground below them started to quake. Addie held tighter to her brother.
"What's happening?" she mumbled.
At that moment, the sky began to fall. Pieces of rock and stone began to fall down into the cavern, as the cave began to fall apart. Then, a massive, roaring sound was heard, causing even larger pieces to fall.
"The cave's collapsing!" Bishop yelled.
Bishop snapped back to reality, remembering it was the Ja'Vey who had caused him to almost die. In that moment, he became filled with a rage. He extended his hand in front of him, summoning his weapon once again.
"Turbine Crusher!" he shouted, as the mallet-shaped black and silver weapon materialized.
Inside the cockpit, the Ja'Vey were still intently focused on the Silver Ranger's megazord.
"I think it's time to show him some real power!" Gadarel yelled, as he activated one of the robot's many weapons systems.
The cannons mounted on the robot's shoulders began to rumble, as the golden bombs launched, colliding with the Triad Megazord and sending the entire megazord collapsing to the ground with damage. Inside the cockpit, Garza covered his helmet thanks to the sparking damage to the zord's systems.
Abaddon & Gadarel both howled with pleasure at seeing the fall of Garza's zord. They stepped up to it and attempted to stomp on the fallen megazord, but Garza regained the controls quick enough to catch the foot in his megazord's hands.
"No!" Garza shouted.
The Ja'Vey increased their robot's power, attempting to pound on the megazord which was managing to hold them off barely. The two demons were both staring out the red visor of the robot.
At that moment, the Black hunter took off from the mountainside, launching himself into the air, heading towards the head of the robot. With his turbine crusher high above his head, Bishop let out a fierce battlecry as he pounded the weapon against the visor of the zord, cracking the visor.
Garza saw his chance and pushed the zord backwards by the foot. The robot went tumbling backwards, heading dangerously close to the mountainside. Garza saw this and fired the cannon mounted on the Triad Megazord's helmet, causing the robot to veer off-course and fall into the trees instead.
"I need to be out there!" Ian shouted from inside the Tracking Lab, as he turned his wheelchair away from the monitors, upset that he could only hear the grunts and crashes happening on the battlefield.
"In your condition sir—" Spencer started, but was quickly cut off.
"I know!" Ian yelled. "We're outnumbered at every turn."
"Master Chris and Miss Lorrie are doing the best that they can, sir," Spencer assured him.
"I just don't think it's enough," Ian said, frustrated. "We can't afford to lose that Lunati spring and if they don't get some of the water back safely—"
Spencer took a deep breath, knowing what he had to say.
"Sir, the Lunati water isn't necessary for someone who just plans to protect the treasure, which is the Rangers' priority," Spencer spoke. "From what we've learned, the water is only vital if someone plans to use the treasure."
Ian looked into Spencer's eyes, knowing what he was getting at.
"Spencer, you can't deny its healing capabilities," Ian said, intensely. "You saw the effect it had on Chris when he was injured in the Amazon before. I need—I…"
Spencer sighed.
"Sir, it's not my place to ever tell you that you're starting to sound as ruthless as the people you're fighting against," Spencer said.
Ian locked eyes with him again.
"So, I won't tell you," Spencer said, quietly as he headed for the exit. "I just hope that Master Chris and Miss Lorrie return alive. That's enough for me."
Spencer left Ian alone in the lab. His eyes closed for only a moment, before anger once again invaded his head. He ripped his headset off and threw it across the room.
The Yellow hunter watched her brother's attack on the Ja'Vey robot and smiled beneath her helmet, even if she worried for his safety. She saw him jump safely back onto the ground somewhere in the trees behind her. It was then that she heard the grunts of Jessica Lorrie coming from below. She peeked over the mountainside cliff and saw the Pink Ranger fighting with several of Drakar's foot soldiers.
Addie chuckled, as she dropped to her knees, focusing her hand blaster on the Pink Ranger. She could see Jessica was still holding the blue vase of water. She opened fire, causing Jessica to scream out in pain, as the laser blasts collided with her suit, causing her to collapse to the ground.
Addie's eyes grew wide, as she saw the Draggs going for the vase. She jumped off the cliff, heading down towards them, firing her blaster along the way, taking out three of the six Draggs before she had even hit the ground. Two Karths showed up, pulling the Pink Ranger further away from the battle. Addie tried to follow, but was soon surrounded by the Ferum foot soldiers. She continued to valiantly fight them off.
Up above her, Bishop had emerged from the trees and looked down at his sister's battle. He was about to jump down to her side, but he looked back up at the Ja'Vey robot, which seemed to be teetering on the edge of destruction. He smiled, slyly.
While everyone else was busy fighting, Waza & Miko stood at the foot of the waterfall on the side opposite Addie. They quietly filled another vase with the water and scurried off before anyone could see them.
Inside the cockpit of their zord, Abaddon & Gadarel's consoles were sparking in several places. They quickly assessed the robot's power.
"Our systems have been depleted!" Gadarel shouted. "Tarok's hunter caused more damage than we thought."
"I can't see a thing!" Abaddon said.
"I can!" Garza's voice came booming through their communications channel.
Abaddon & Gadarel both looked up at the cracked visor in front of them and saw several Triad Megazords thanks to the broken glass. Garza's megazord was standing at attention, ready to take his final blow.
"No!" Abaddon said, as he launched their robot into the air, showing that the creature was equipped with thrusters, allowing it to fly.
"You're not getting away that easily," Bishop grunted furiously.
He gripped his hand blaster sword tightly in his hand and took off into the air once again, grabbined a hold of the back of the robot. He lost his grip quickly, but stabbed at the jetpack on the robot's back, piercing it with his weapon.
The cockpit once again started to jolt, as the instrument panels lit up with more damage.
"We're going down!" Gadarel shouted.
"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, with his power set to it's highest output.
The lasers struck the robot in mid-air. The Black hunter jumped off of the robot, as he careened towards the ground, spinning out of control. Bishop fell into the river near the Chris Hartford, who was furiously fighting with Tarok, as Evan & Taiyami were battling with Drakar only a few feet away from him. On the other side of the river, Jessica fought off the two Karths who tried to steal the vase of water from her.
The sound of the Ja'Vey robot crashing towards the ground caught the attention of everyone on the ground, except for Addie Malcolm. The Yellow hunter was so focused on her battle with the Draggs around her near the foot of the waterfall that she didn't see the robot heading straight towards the mountainside behind her.
The Ja'Vey robot crashed right into the waterfall, causing the entire mountain to collapse, sending rocks, debris and water, straight down on the Yellow hunter, crushing her along with the Draggs. The waterfall and the Lunati water stream had been completely destroyed.
"Addie!" Chris yelled, as he saw what happened.
He swiftly swatted Tarok away, kicking him across the face. He flipped over the river and ran towards Addie but the Ja'Vey robot landed right on top of him.
"Chris!" Jessica yelled.
Up in his zord, Garza heard Jessica cry out and he jumped from his zord to the ground, joining her at her side.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Chris tried to save Addie," Jessica explained. "The robot landed on him."
"I'll get him," Garza shouted, as he ran towards the fallen robot.
Before he could reach the fallen Red Ranger, the Ja'Vey burst out of the robot with their weapons drawn. Garza pulled his Tracking Striker and fired on the two, who dove away from his attack and returned fire.
Garza fired back against Gadarel, who jumped down to his position and transformed his blaster into a sword, swiping it at Garza and distracting him, as Abaddon aimed his weapon at Garza. But before he could fire, Jessica shot her hydro cannon at the Ja'Vey demon, causing his body to light up with damage.
The Pink Ranger ran to Garza's side, helping him fight off the attack by Gadarel as well. Behind them, the Black hunter burst out of the river. He saw the damage caused by the crash of the Ja'Vey robot and instantly thought of Addie. At that moment, he saw a yellow gloved-hand sticking out of a huge pile of fallen earth.
"Addie!" Bishop yelled in a panic as he ran over to the pile of rubble and began quickly removing the debris on top of his sister.
"No!" Tarok shouted from the other side of the river, as Drakar ran up to his side, taking in the sight of the destruction. "The Lunati water has been contaminated!"
"The entire spring is useless!" Drakar shouted in shock.
Tarok then eyed Zel in Drakar's hands. Seizing his opportunity, he used his stone sword to slice through the chain that linked the Lunati sword to Drakar, catching the Ferum leader off-guard.
Drakar shouted in anger, as he swung at Tarok, who ducked away. Tarok sent another surge of energy from his palm towards Drakar, but he once again used the sword to deflecct it back at Tarok, who fell to the ground. Drakar, sensing he would become the soul target with a piece of the treasure in his posession, triggered his own teleportation, disappearing in a wave of fire.
Tarok seethed at seeing Drakar's escape. Behind him, Miko and Waza rejoined Evan and Taiyami, showing them the vase of sacred water they had collected before the waterfall was destroyed. Evan nodded to them and the faction took off into the trees, swiftly retreating.
Bishop continued to remove the debris that buried his sister, until he could finally free her from all of the wreckage.
"Addie? Addie, answer me!" Bishop said, not getting any movement from her.
He felt a faint pulse which gave him a slight sense of relief, as Tarok appeared at his side.
"We must go!" Tarok said, as he eyed Jessica & Garza fighting off the Ja'Vey.
"What about the water?" Bishop said, confused.
Tarok chuckled a bit as he opened his robe, showing Bishop that he had a silver vase stored beneath his white robes.
Bishop eyed the vase of water and thought back to what Tarok had told him about the capabilities of the water on humans. He removed Addie's helmet and checked her pulse again. Her eyes were closed and she was still unresponsive. Bishop remained on his knees at her side. He glanced over at Tarok, who was intently watching the battle between the Rangers the the Ja'Vey.
Bishop reached under his robes and quickly swiped the vial of water. Tarok turned as he felt it ripped from his belt.
"What?!" Tarok shouted, as he looked down at the Black hunter.
Bishop quickly dumped the water down Addie's throat. Tarok almost fell over in shock.
"What are you doing?!" he shouted.
Bishop didn't answer him. He just continued to hold his sister, dropping the empty vase nearby. Tarok rushed over to it, checking to make sure it was indeed empty. He was even more furious as he looked back at the Black hunter. It was then that Addie started to cough. Bishop breathed as sigh of relief as his sister quickly regained conscious, looking up at him.
"Bish?" Addie said, still groggy. "What happened?"
"Don't worry about," Bishop said. "I took care of you."
Tarok stood furiously and extended his palm towards his two hunters. With a quick wave of his electrical energy, all three of them were gone, instantly teleported back to the abandoned factory.
The Pink Ranger ducked Gadarel's sword attack and kicked him in the gut, sending him flying right into Abaddon. Garza joined Jessica at her side with his Tracking Striker drawn.
"Together?" Garza asked her.
"Together!" Jessica shouted, as she pulled her hydro cannon.
The two Rangers fired their weapons at the Ja'Vey at the exact same time, catching Abaddon & Gadarel with a powerful combined strike. The two Ja'Vey went flying across the ground, their suits smoking from the attack. They staggered to their feet.
"Next time, Silver Ranger, you will pay!" Abaddon swore, as he and Gadarel used their powers to disappear from the scene.
Garza took a deep, triumphant breath, but Jessica had no time for that.
"Chris!" she shouted again as she ran over to the robot, with Garza keeping pace with her.
But before they could get to the spot where Chris had been crushed, the Red Ranger crawled out from underneath the robot by himself.
"Chris, are you all right?" Jessica wondered.
The Red Ranger got to his feet for only a second, before collapsing again. Just before everything went dark, he uttered only one word to them.
"Addie."
As the Silverhawk flew through the air on autopilot, Jessica Lorrie knelt at the side of Chris Hartford, who was laying on a portable cot in the rear of the vehicle. Jessica patted his forehead with a warm towel, as he started to stir. His eyes fluttered open and he soon realized exactly where he was.
"What happened?" he asked.
"The Ja'Vey's robot fell on you," Jessica said. "You're lucky to be alive."
"The water—you used it on me?"
"No," Jessica said, quickly.
She showed him the blue vase that she still had.
"You weren't hurt that bad," she explained to him. "Garza helped me get you in here."
"Silver to the rescue again," Chris said, still groggy.
Jessica rolled her eyes. "Whatever. He helped rescue you, not me!"
It was then that Chris remembered who he had been trying to rescue from the collapse of the waterfall.
"Addie?" he looked at Jessica, wondering.
"I saw Bishop & Tarok take her," Jessica said. "I heard her cough. She's probably okay."
Chris sighed, as he seemed to relax once again. He put a hand over his pounding head and was soon asleep once again.
Jessica returned to the cockpit and sat back in the pilot's seat. She opened up communications with the Tracking Lab.
"Doctor Hartford, we're on our way home," she revealed.
"Good. Is the water safe?" Ian asked.
Jessica shook her head in disappointment at his focus.
"Yeah…and so's your son—barely," Jessica said, angrily.
"Chris is tough," Ian said. "He'll be fine."
"I'm signing off," Jessica said. "I'll see you when we get there."
She quickly shut off the communication, just as her tracker began beeping. She grabbed it and saw that a communication was coming in. She feared it was Dr. Hartford again. She activated it.
"Yes?"
"I was just checking to make sure you were headed for home," Garza's voice came through. "How's Chris?"
"We're both fine," Jessica said. "I can't thank you enough for what you did out there."
"It was nothing," Garza said. "I'm never going to let the Ja'Vey win. Besides, I'm the one who owes you, not the other way around. You're keeping my secret, Jess and that's something I can never truly repay."
Jessica smiled.
"I cannot believe you used our share of the water!" Tarok said, angrily as he stared at Bishop.
"I don't care!" Bishop snapped back. "Addie is more important than the treasure. She's more important than the water and frankly, she's more important than this alliance, so if you don't like it, I suggest you start shopping for new hunters."
The fury on Tarok's face was mounting. He truly wished that he could just destroy Bishop Malcolm in that moment, but that wouldn't give him what he wanted. The ultimate power was the only thing that could guarantee his victory in the longrun and for now, he needed both the Malcolms for his plans.
"I will not tolerate any further betrayal," Tarok said finally.
Bishop stormed off without another word.
Tarok continued to pace back and forth until he saw Addie walking gingerly into the area. He stopped and stared at her coming towards him.
"Where's Bishop?" she asked.
"I do not know," Tarok said, his voice softening. "How are you?"
"Okay, I guess," Addie said. "The waterfall was destroyed?"
"Yes," Tarok said. "The Hartfords, however, took a portion of the sacred water, so all hope is not lost."
Addie nodded.
"Your brother can be quite…close-minded. He does not see the big picture," Tarok said.
"That's Bishop," Addie said. "Punch first, talk later."
"That is a dangerous way to live," Tarok said.
"It's okay. We look after each other," Addie said, still a bit groggy.
"Yes," Tarok said, as his frown disappeared completely.
He stepped up close to Addie and softly touched her shoulders. She looked up at him.
"That is why it is important for you to harness all of your inner power," Tarok said. "It may be necessary if your brother continues his reckless behavior."
"What do you mean?" Addie wondered.
"What I mean is that very soon, it may be up to you to save his life and you must be prepared to harness every bit of the energy within you to accomplish that," Tarok said, slyly.
"I'm not sure I'm strong enough to control it," Addie said.
Tarok thought hard at what she said and then smiled, realizing that the answer to harnessing Addie's true power could have been in their possession all of this time. He guided her through the factory until they arrived at his personal chamber, where two Karths were standing guard.
Tarok glided past them, guiding Addie into the chamber.
"I believe there is a piece of the Lunati treasure that can help you do that," Tarok said, as he gestured for her to look at the far side of the room.
Addie's eyes drifted until they ended on the sight of the Lunati crown shining in the factory's dim lighting. She looked at Tarok, appearing confused.
"Yes," Tarok said, nodding his head. "The power will be yours to control. I can feel it."
THE END
Next time on
Quest for the Lunati Treasure
Tarok plans to use the Lunati crown to unleash
The dark power within Addie. But when the evil
is unleashed, there may be no stopping it. When
Silver City becomes Tarok's target, Chris, Jessica
& Garza respond, with Chris reluctant to fight
Addie. With Bishop also in the fray, one
Ranger pays the ultimate price.