QUEST FOR THE LUNATI TREASURE
Episode #21
"Independence Day"
Two weeks after his sixteenth birthday, Evan Yukito had witnessed his first crime. It was a crime that had never led to conviction, or even prosecution. In fact, it was a crime that no one even knew had occurred, except for him. Evan had returned from school and as he approached his home, he could hear his father yelling even from outside. He peeked in a window and saw the older man yelling at his wife for a hole that he had found in one of his blazers.
Evan's eyes narrowed on his father, as he could hear his mother apologizing for the accident that had caused the tiny hole. He watched his father put on a different suit coat, throwing the tainted one at his wife, who responded as if she had just courageously accepted the lash of a physical beating. Evan ducked around the corner of the house, as his father stormed out and left the property in his cherished vehicle.
Evan remembered entering the house and asking his mother why she put up with his father's harsh nature. His mother responded as he had expected. She defended her husband and his very important work. It was his work that provided them a comfortable living and no one would take him seriously with holes in his suits. Evan felt she deserved more, while she felt her son lacked respect. She made it clear she would not change and the following day, Evan made it clear that this family would no longer have his loyalty.
Loyalty. It had always been Evan's fatal flaw. When it was gone, so was he. The day after seeing what he felt was his father's crime, Evan committed his first. He stole his father's car and drove it right out of Okinawa. He continued to drive until the vehicle ran out of gas. Despite that setback, he continued his quest for loyalty.
In the heart of a deserted forest, the trees stood unmoving. There was no wind. The weather was comfortable at seventy-two degrees. The conditions were perfect for the tall, lumbering trees that made up the forest. But as the sun approached its peak, the pristine untouched foliage was corrupted by violence.
A blast of energy could be heard for miles. A section of trees that stood closer than many family members burst apart, as Taiyami, the ancient ninja warrior of Dark Shadow, came flying backwards through the brush, leaving behind a trail of smoke. Having taken the brunt of that energy blast, he crashed to the ground with such fierce momentum that his body flipped over, causing him to come to a halt on his stomach. As his body skidded along the grass, digging deep into the soil below it, Taiyami remained focused on his opponent.
He looked up, despite his pain and saw Drakar emerge from the forest, holding tight to the Lunati sword, which was chained to his wrist. Drakar chuckled loudly.
"I've never been able to truly pay you back for all of the betrayals Dark Shadow cast upon me," Drakar said. "Your day of judgment has finally come."
Drakar's last statement was more correct than he would ever realize, but Dark Shadow's judgment would not rest in his hands.
"Vengeance will be mine!" Drakar seethed, as he raised the sword to his helmet, seeing the blade between his own eyes.
The energy within his helmet began to build up, taking the formation of deep red surges of electricity, which swarmed around him, traveling into the blade. Drakar let out a loud grunt of anger, as he released all of the energy into the sword. He twisted his body around, effectively slinging the energy surge at Taiyami, just as he had done moments before inside the forest.
This time, however, Taiyami was ready for the attack. He summoned his power over the wind and flew into the air, just as the energy blast struck the ground. In mid-air, Taiyami pulled his twin blades, crossing them together. He took his power to the maximum, causing his faceplate to separate, showing Drakar his true form.
"Paper crane attack!" Taiyami shouted, as the brightly-colored, bird-shaped energy bolts circled his blades for only a second.
He pointed the blades at Drakar, causing the cranes to fly at him in one straight line. Drakar quickly raised the Lunati sword to protect himself and the sword glowed within his grasp, slicing through each of the paper cranes before they could strike him.
Taiyami watched in shock as Drakar was able to fight off his fiercest attack. That was the power of the Lunati sword, he thought. That was the power he had come for. He landed on the ground several feet away, just as the Ferum leader stabbed the sword into the ground, causing a rumble of damage, splitting the earth below Taiyami.
The ancient ninja fell into the chasm that formed below him, but he wasn't falling for long. He stabbed both of his blades into the sides of the deep soil around him. He flipped himself around, holding tight to the swords. His body shot into the air, as fast as the wind he commanded. He flew down towards Drakar with his blades once again crossed in front of him. As Taiyami landed, his blades met the Lunati sword, beginning a tug-of-war for control. Taiyami, however, was the disadvantaged, as he had been since this fight began. The power of the Lunati sword was too much for him and Drakar was able to repel him, sending him flying backwards, rolling back over the chasm. Taiyami held tight to the edge to prevent himself from falling in again.
Before he could pull himself up, Drakar stood above him, chuckling once again, with the Lunati sword still tight in his hand.
"This fight is over!" he yelled, just as several laser blasts struck his chest, catching him off-guard.
Drakar staggered backwards, as he glanced across the chasm and saw the Blue Hunter, Dark Shadow's human leader, with his hand blaster aimed directly at him.
"I was just about to say the same thing!" Evan shouted, as he fired again.
This time, however, Drakar blocked the attack using the sword. He jumped over the chasm, landing in front of Yukito, who sensed his next move and quickly transformed his blaster into sword mode. The Lunati sword came flying down towards him, but Evan was able to barely block it, falling backwards onto the ground.
Back behind Drakar, Taiyami struggled to pull himself up, as he felt a hand grab his wrist. Miko helped pull him to safety and Taiyami was once again caught off-guard. After settling himself on solid ground, he yanked his arm out of her grasp.
"What are you doing here?" Taiyami asked, angrily.
"Saving your butt!" Miko said sarcastically, as if her answer should have been obvious.
"I didn't ask for it," Taiyami said, as he got to his feet and glanced across the chasm, seeing Evan fighting with Drakar. "This is my battle."
"We're a team, remember?" Miko said.
"The sword will be mine!" Taiyami said, as he took flight, gliding over the chasm.
He landed just behind Drakar, grabbing him by the shoulder and whipping him around. Taiyami punched him in the head, but was unprepared when Drakar swung back with the Lunati sword. Taiyami staggered backwards. His heels hit the edge of the chasm and he swung his arms wildly, trying to regain his footing. Miko watched in shock from the other side, unsure of how to help.
At that moment, Evan Yukito grabbed hold of Taiyami's hand, keeping him from falling over.
"Yuki, behind you!" Miko shouted.
The Blue Hunter glanced over his shoulder for only a second. He used his other hand to aim his hand blaster, firing at Drakar. The Ferum leader cowered for only a second in the face of the blast. When he saw Evan return his attention to Taiyami, he took his chance to make a hasty exit.
Evan pulled Taiyami away from the edge and the much-taller creature pushed Evan away, looking at the spot that Drakar had just occupied. He was gone.
"You fool!" Taiyami shouted, as he turned back to Evan. "You let him get away."
"Sorry," Evan said, sarcastically. "I was trying to make sure you didn't fall to your death."
"It would take much more than that to kill me!" Taiyami said, steamed from his missed opportunity. "Now, I've lost the sword, again!"
Evan took a deep breath as he glanced back over at Miko on the other side of the chasm. She shook her head.
"You had no right to come," Taiyami said, still angry. "This was my fight! You had no business being here."
"Well we're here now," Evan said, matching Taiyami's angered tone. "And since the fight's over, I suggest we get back home."
He demorphed, walking right up to Taiyami to face him. Evan stared directly into the y-shaped faceplate of Taiyami's helmet. It was glowing yellow.
"And next time you go into battle, maybe you'll remember to take some back-up," Evan said, as he flipped open his tracker, summoning the Helio Zord.
As the zord landed on the ground near them, Evan watched Taiyami enter the vehicle first, never acknowledging his words. Dark Shadow had become strained, Evan thought. He felt Miko's arm on his shoulder and for a moment it sent him back in time. He remembered the last time he had actually felt truly secure on a team. That force was not Dark Shadow.
The group of five young officers entered the dining hall and was quickly greeted by applause from gathered guests. Like most of the guests, the young officers were all dressed in their formal police uniforms. Evan Yukito led the pack, not smiling, but cordially bowing, along with his fellow officers. They saluted.
He felt the hand on his shoulder, as the officers dispersed to join the party. He turned to see the hand belonged to Hiroshi Ming, the inspector who had recruited Evan to join the Hong Kong police after he helped them down the crime lord Yan.
"You were excellent out there," Ming said to him, wearing a bright smile.
"It was a training exercise I've completed at least twenty times before," Evan said. "There was no need for an ovation."
He wasn't boasting. It was a modesty that he had forgotten in the present day.
"Never taking due credit," Ming said, as he guided Evan further into the gathering. "I've always found your selflessness to be refreshing. True, it was just a training demonstration, but some of these suits have never seenit. They were impressed and that impresses the Superintendent."
Ming nodded over to the Hong Kong SP. The elder man gave a polite bow in the distance, and a grin that conveyed his approval.
"And that means better things for our department," Ming said. "You must learn to play the game, Evan. Every action is important."
A beautiful woman walked over to the two of them in a sparkling white gown. She was carrying two glasses of champagne. She handed one of them to Ming, as she smiled at Evan, who was taken aback by her beauty and the golden necklace she wore.
"Evan, this is my wife, Jun," Ming introduced the two.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, young man," she spoke. "My husband has told me many wonderful things about you. Your marksmanship was amazing."
"Thank you," Evan said, bowing courteously. "Inspector Ming is a great mentor."
"Well, I have to say you've taught me a few things yourself since we met," Ming said, happily. "Without your testimony, we wouldn't have been able to put Yan away."
"It's still not over," Evan said. "Lau's conviction isn't set in stone just yet."
"It will be," Ming said, without worry. "As long as you're ready to testify, we'll see Yan's number two behind bars as well."
"All of this police talk bores me," Jun said, with a sigh.
It told Evan a lot about her. She clearly enjoyed the attention she received from wandering eyes in the crowd, yet anything of substance bored her. She was a superficial woman. He couldn't help but notice how many times she flashed the diamonds on her fingers, as other women passed by with their husbands. Evan shook his head, just as he felt someone walk up beside him. He turned to see the young waitress, with her head lowered slightly.
"Drink, sir?" she asked.
"Thank you," Evan said, as he took a glass from her tray.
The young woman looked up at him for only a second, showing him her piercing dark blue eyes. She smiled, before scurrying off.
"If you'll excuse me a moment," Ming said, as he looked off in another direction. "The Superintendent is waving me over."
"More business, no doubt," Jun said, disappointed. "I'll pass."
"Fine. Stay here," Ming said, as he looked over at Evan. "Keep an eye on her for me."
"Yes, sir," Evan said, as he watched Ming walk away.
Evan watched Jun finish her drink and snap her fingers wildly, beckoning the young waitress to refill it. But instead of coming over to help Jun, the young woman turned away from her nervously. She seemed to be trying to make her way to the exit. Jun appeared furious.
"How rude!" she said. "I refuse to be treated with such disrespect."
Jun pursued the young woman and Evan found himself following her, in an effort to keep his word. The waitress made her way up the large staircase towards the exit, when Jun grabbed her arm.
"You're not getting away that easily, you insubordinate little twit!" Jun said. "When someone asks for another drink, your job is to give it to them."
Evan stepped between the ladies.
"Mrs. Ming, let me handle this," Evan said. "I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding. Right?"
Evan looked to the girl. He looked into the young woman's eyes as they shifted quickly back and forth between the two of them.
"What's wrong with you?" Jun asked, angrily.
At that moment, the waitress yelled for no one to move. She threw her tray at Evan, distracting him long enough for her to grab hold of Jun by the throat. The young woman pulled a knife from her pocket, holding it to Jun's neck.
The festivities came to a stop, as all eyes fell on the raven-haired girl. Evan noticed she was tapping her foot nervously on the floor, as if she were waiting for something to happen. His eyes narrowed on her.
At that moment, the glass ceiling above the dining hall cracked. Screams and gasps were heard from everyone in the middle of the ballroom, as glass flew everywhere, along with a huge, hulking blue ninja, who swooped inside.
"Everyone stay calm and this will be over quickly!" Taiyami said, as he waded through the stunned crowd, grabbing pieces of jewelry from most of the guests.
Evan watched closely, as the creature glanced at one woman and then pushed her aside, leaving her jewels intact. He looked back up at his young accomplice, who seemed to be eyeing the golden necklace around Jun's neck. Evan took his chance. He lunged towards Miko, grabbing her arm. Ming's wife let out a piercing scream, as she got away from Miko who appeared very upset that she had lost sight of that necklace.
Jun's scream also got the attention of Taiyami. Several of Evan's fellow squad members went after Taiyami, grabbing at his arms. He threw them to the floor like dirty rags, as Ming and several other officers, began firing their weapons at him, causing even more chaos. Evan took his eyes off Miko to see where the shots were going. At that moment, a large blue owl swarmed around Evan's head, clawing at his face. He protected himself, using his hands, allowing Miko to free herself from his grip.
"Let's go!" Taiyami shouted, as he took off on a gust of wind towards the ceiling entrance he had created.
Evan felt a kick to his groin, no doubt from the young waitress. He fell to the floor, looking up to see her holding onto the claws of the owl, as it lifted her into the air and flew her right out of the building behind Taiyami. Evan was furious. Inspector Ming ran over to his wife who was standing near Evan's side. As things settled down, Ming helped Evan to his feet, patting him on the back once again.
"You saved my life," Jun said, thankfully.
"Another smart move," Ming said to Evan, with a smile.
The Helio Zord landed outside of Dark Shadow's lair in Japan. Taiyami was the first one to exit the vehicle, just as he had been the first to enter it. He stormed into their lair, as Miko exited, followed by Evan. She was ready to go inside when she noticed he was still standing near the zord.
"You okay?" she asked.
"I'm not sure how much longer this can go on," Evan said, somberly.
"Taiyami's just upset," Miko said, with a smile. "He'll get over it. It'll be okay."
"You know him better than I do," Evan said, still unconvinced.
Miko gave him a reassuring smile.
"So, are you coming in?" she asked.
"I think I'm gonna hang back here," Evan responded. "Do a little sparring. You can never have too much practice."
"Speak for yourself," Miko said.
Inside the lair, Taiyami stood in his room, throwing anything he could find to work off his frustration. As he threw a small wooden chest across the room, he uncovered a small black bag. Taiyami knelt down and picked up the tiny sack. It contained the Lunati relic that Dark Shadow had found a while back. Taiyami opened the small cloth bag and dropped the blue gem into his palm. It was the missing Lunati crown jewel.
If Taiyami had a mouth, he would have smiled at that moment. He had been looking for power and it had just occurred to him that the little gem could be just what he needed. It would be the power source, but he would need the apparatus to give him that power. As the jewel twinkled in his hand, he began searching through the wreckage of his room once more. Taiyami grew angrier as he didn't find what he needed most at this moment. It wasn't there. Outside his room, Miko heard the crashes coming from inside. Waza flew up to her, also hearing the commotion.
"I take it Taiyami did not succeed in his mission?" Waza asked.
"He went after the Lunati sword," Miko revealed to him. "It didn't end pretty."
"The same will be true for this house, if he doesn't calm himself," Waza said.
The owl flew closer to Taiyami's door, as it burst open, surprising him. Taiyami grabbed the owl by the throat, tightening his grip around his neck.
"Where are they?!" Taiyami yelled.
"Taiyami, what are you doing?" Miko shouted in shock.
"Where are my scrolls?" Taiyami said, as he pounded Waza into a wall, putting a major dent in it. "I know you've stolen them!"
Waza was unable to speak, due to the intense grasp Taiyami held around his neck. Miko grabbed at Taiyami's arm.
"Stop!" she yelled.
Taiyami swatted her away, sending her flying backwards. She crashed right through the table in the main sitting area of the lair. Taiyami showed no care or remorse for Miko, as he turned his total force back on the owl.
"You…must…let go," Waza muttered.
Taiyami held tight to the owl, as he walked over to Waza's private sanctuary and kicked open the door. He threw the owl into the room.
"Give me back my scrolls!" Taiyami ordered. "Now!"
Waza managed to lift himself up off the floor.
"You don't need those old scrolls," Waza reasoned, as he regained his breath.
"I will have ultimate power!" Taiyami said forcefully, as he came closer to Waza, causing the owl to flutter away from him a bit. "You were my greatest companion. You've stood by my side for centuries, yet you betray my trust. Give me the scrolls!"
Waza moved further away from Taiyami. Sensing he would continue to resist, Taiyami turned and looked at Miko lying in the debris of the table. He looked back at Waza.
"Perhaps you see your life as worthless," Taiyami said, furiously. "But how do you see hers?"
Taiyami advanced towards Miko and Waza could resist no longer.
"Wait!" Waza shouted. "I will retrieve the scrolls."
His voice sounded older and wearier than ever before. The owl flew over to the backdrop directly behind his perch. He wrapped his claws around the two scrolls and revealed them to Taiyami.
"Yes," Taiyami said, as he took them into his hand.
"Think about what you've done," Waza said. "It's not too late to salvage your soul."
Taiyami looked into the deep eyes of his animal companion. Then he fiercely planted his forearm into Waza's belly, swatting the creature into the back wall of his sanctuary, tearing down the red and white backdrop behind his perch in the process.
"It's too late," Taiyami said quietly.
At the exact same time that the conflict began brewing inside Dark Shadow's lair, Evan Yukito found himself practicing his martial arts outside the house. As he heard the faint sounds of Taiyami stalking around the place, he tried to focus his thoughts on the task at hand. But even as he blocked out the anger of his comrade, he could not focus on sparring. His body was practicing each movement with precision, but his mind was several years in the past. Taiyami's loyalty towards him was waning and that reminded Evan of another time when he felt loyalty slipping away.
The young Hong Kong police officer Evan Yukito watched as the verdict was cast down on his former mentor, Lau. Yan's top conspirator was found guilty of all charges, charges that were brought to light with help from Evan Yukito. As he watched Lau being taken away, Evan couldn't help but think back to his betrayal of Yan and his mob. Evan had been repulsed at how they treated the undercover police officer who had been following Evan while he was employed as a thief for Yan. Evan had let his emotions get the best of him on that occasion, but it wasn't enough to save that officer.
At that moment, Lau stared directly at Yukito in his uniform. Evan could see the hatred in his pupils and he immediately turned away. But as he turned, his eyes caught sight of another very interested party. It was the dead officer's wife. Evan knew, thanks to the newspaper reports and thanks to her uncanny resemblance to her daughter, whom Evan had seen playing with her father in the park.
In that moment, he felt responsible for her husband's death. In truth, he had always felt that way. He saw his joining of the police force as a way to make amends for his sins. His current mentor, Inspector Ming had not told him the officer's name, which he only learned during the legal proceedings. Ming felt it wasn't a good idea for Evan to dwell on the past. He had chosen to focus on the future, but as he thought about what was to come, he saw Ming putting his arm around the fallen officer's wife, comforting her.
As Evan saw him guide the woman out, he saw Ming's hand slide down her back and ultimately rest on her hip. Evan was unsettled by the sight and he followed the two into the hallway, where reporters were waiting for the wife's comment. Ming waved them off and saw Evan watching in the distance. He whispered something into the woman's ear and then walked over to the young officer.
"You did well in there," Ming said, with a smile.
"Will she be all right?" Evan asked, as he gestured towards the woman.
"She is strong," Ming said, nodding his head. "I'm certain she'll survive it."
"Sometimes I wonder if I will," Evan said. "I hated Yan and Lau for what they did to her husband. That's why I informed on them."
"You rose above their greed and have chosen to make something of yourself," Ming said. "You are the only positive thing to come out of their evil…and my comrade's sacrifice."
Ming's phone rang and Evan watched him pull it from his pocket and answer. As he did, Evan caught sight of a ring on Ming's hand. It looked strangely familiar, but he had never seen Ming wearing it before. He could hear Jun's voice on the other end, as Ming broke off their dinner plans for that evening, mentioning that business would keep him tied up very late. Evan watched him walk back over to the officer's widow and place his arm around her hip once more, leading her away, while talking to his wife.
Evan was more than unsettled, as he realized that he recognized that ring as one he saw on Yan's finger, before his arrest. Evan Yukito was now suspicious of his newest mentor.
Evan finally pushed the past out of his brain, trying not to think of things that would only upset him more. It was then that he heard the loud crashes coming from inside the lair. This wasn't Taiyami working out his frustrations, Evan thought. This was Taiyami causing major destruction. He ran towards the back entrance of the two-story Japanese style house and as he pushed open the door, he could see Taiyami at the front of the house, picking up Miko's body from the wreckage of the table. Evan quickly walked in their direction.
"Taiyami!" he shouted. "What did you do?"
Taiyami's head turned to him quickly and before Evan could reach him, Taiyami raised his free hand and opened his palm, causing a whirlwind to swirl out of his hand, sending Evan flying back through the entrance and straight into the Helio Zord. Evan's back experienced intense pain as it struck the zord. He fell to the ground and looked up to see Taiyami exit the house, with Miko thrown over his shoulder.
"Stop," Evan grunted through the pain.
All he heard in response was Taiyami's evil laughter. He extended his palm towards the blue flying zord, lifting it off the ground with his power and causing it to plummet down towards Evan. The Blue Hunter looked up and saw the zord spiraling out of control. He instinctively covered his head, curling into the fetal position, as the zord came crashing down. He ripped his tracker across the ground, just as the Helio Zord landed on top of him. Taiyami chuckled again.
"I trust there will be no one following me this time!" he said, before taking off into the air on a lightning-fast gust of wind, with Miko in tow.
"He's coming!" Jessica called out, as she peeked through a window at the front of the Hartford mansion.
At the sound of her voice, Dr. Ian Hartford came rolling into the foyer. Jessica walked over to the entrance, opening the double doors as Spencer and Chris emerged from Spencer's car in front of the fountain.
Spencer tried to help Chris up the stairs but he refused his attempt. Spencer passed Jessica and greeted Dr. Hartford before heading off to the kitchen. As Chris arrived at the threshold of the mansion, Jessica hugged him.
"Welcome home," she said.
"Thanks. How are you?" Chris said, as he looked her over. "Spencer said you got pretty banged up, but you don't look like you have a scratch on you."
Jessica closed the doors, with a sigh.
"Let's just say I look better than I feel," she said, with a half-grin.
"Tell me about it," Chris said, with a smile, before glancing down at his father.
"I'm glad you're home," Ian said, politely.
"I was starting to think they weren't ever going to let me out of there," Chris said. "They just don't understand you can't keep a good super hero down."
Chris pulled his mother's letter out from his back pocket and he showed his father that he still had it.
"Thanks for this," Chris said quietly.
Ian only nodded.
"Well, I guess there's only one thing left to say," Jessica said, as she put her hand on Chris's shoulder. "Spencer!"
The butler emerged from the kitchen, carrying a large brown birthday cake, with one large candle. He smiled at Chris, who couldn't help but chuckle, as he saw the words that decorated the chocolate cake.
"Happy Birthday!" Spencer, Jessica & Ian said together.
Chris smiled.
"You guys are totally late!" Chris said, faking anger. "But I guess can forgive you this one time."
They all laughed together, as Spencer sat the cake on the table and gave Chris the knife to begin cutting. Spencer returned to the kitchen.
"I have to say this is a real surprise," Chris said. "After the events of my real birthday, I was willing to let this one go."
"Don't say that," Ian said, quickly. "You came back to us and that alone is worth celebrating."
Chris looked down at his father, unsure of what to say to him. Jessica put each of the pieces of cake onto plates, as Spencer returned with a tray of four glasses, each filled with a golden liquid. Chris smiled.
"An apple juice toast," Chris said to Spencer. "You read my mind."
Spencer grabbed a glass from the tray and Chris was about to take it from his hand, until he passed Chris up and handed the glass to Jessica. Spencer then offered the tray to Chris and he took a glass. Spencer lowered the tray, allowing Ian to also take a glass. Spencer kept the final one for himself and everyone raised their glasses for a toast.
"To the birthday boy," Spencer said.
"Birthday man, Spencer—man!" Chris corrected.
They all drank up and the reaction from the younger Hartford was priceless. He almost spit the liquid back out as he realized what he was drinking wasn't apple juice at all.
"Some man," Spencer said, winking at Ian.
"What?" Jessica said, appearing confused.
"That's beer!" Chris said, shocked. "I—I just wasn't expecting it."
"Well, take it as my birthday gift, Master Chris," Spencer said. "It was a great pleasure to buy you your first beer as a legal man."
"Thanks, Spencer," Chris said, as he took another sip.
Jessica appeared a bit upset.
"Someone could have let me in on the joke," she said. "I still got apple juice."
"We'll deal with you in a couple more months," Spencer said, with a nod.
Jessica rolled her eyes.
"Now, since Spencer brought it up….where's the rest of my gifts?" Chris said, loudly.
"Oh, come on," Jessica said, sarcastically. "We thought you were dead. You don't really expect gifts now do you?"
"Very funny," Chris said.
"I do have something," Ian said. "It's out back."
Chris looked a bit nervous, as Ian activated his wheelchair, heading in that direction. As he walked with Jessica and Spencer at his sides, he leaned his head towards Jessica.
"I hope it's not another basketball hoop," he said under his breath.
Spencer jabbed him in the arm. They watched as Ian opened the back door of the mansion and Chris's jaw dropped. He exited the house and saw the cherry red Corvette ZR1 in the rear driveway. He shook his head in disbelief. As he turned and looked back at the trio standing at the door, they saw his lips moving but nothing coming out.
"I don't believe it," Spencer said, shocked. "He's actually speechless."
Chris ran his hand over the hood of the car and couldn't believe his eyes.
"What year is this?" he asked.
"2009," Ian said, proudly. "Don't ask me how much it cost. Getting it shipped over from Germany alone cost a small fortune."
"This is amazing," Chris said, grinning widely, before looking back at his father. "Thanks, dad."
Back in Japan, the crashed Helio Zord finally began to move, little by little, as the Blue Hunter used every inch of his strength to lift the zord enough to roll out from underneath. Still morphed, Evan staggered to his feet and rushed back into the lair. He walked through the wreckage inside the house and was caught off-guard by a sound coming from an adjacent room. Evan turned quickly and saw Waza moving only one wing as he tried to exit his sanctuary. Evan rushed to his side on the floor.
Evan shouted, "What happened? Why did Taiyami do this?"
"He was looking for the scrolls," Waza spoke, in a weak whisper.
Evan remembered the last time Taiyami had employed his ancient scrolls. He had transformed Miko into a sinister monster after joining with his tracker's power.
"He seeks ultimate power and I fear he may do anything to get it," Waza said. "That's why he took her."
"But he can't—he can't hurt her again. He wouldn't," Evan said, worried for Miko's safety.
"The spells on those two remaining scrolls call for a human sacrifice to seal the power transfer," Waza said.
"Power transfer?" Evan said, confused. "If Taiyami wants more power, where's he gonna transfer it from?"
"I do not know," Waza said. "But whatever it is must be strong, if he wishes to bond with it."
Then, it hit Evan.
"The jewel!" he gave a defeated sigh. "He must have taken the Lunati jewel we found. I have to find him."
"But how?" Waza said.
"My tracker," Evan said, as he stood up, pondering what to do next. "I can lock onto the jewel, since I know its power signature."
"He will fight you for this power, Evan," Waza said. "I don't think anyone can stop him now."
"I have to try," Evan said, looking down at his fallen friend. "If he's successful in harnessing the power of the jewel, he may become unstoppable and Miko will die."
"I will go with you," Waza said, as he tried to fly. "If Miko is in trouble, you may need help."
"Stay here," Evan said. "You're hurt. I'll take care of it."
Evan left Waza behind and walked back out the rear exit of the lair.
"I just hope the Helio Zord can still fly," Evan said under his breath.
He hopped into the cockpit and synced the controls with his tracker, seeing that the systems remained undamaged. He just hoped the structural damage to the exterior of the vehicle wasn't bad enough to prevent a safe flight. Evan picked up the signal from the jewel and saw his destination. They hadn't gone far, he noticed. He took a deep breath and activated the zord, lifting it gingerly off the ground. As he increased speed in the air, Evan couldn't help but think back to his memories of Hong Kong.
The young officer was on foot patrol in the city. It was late evening and many businesses in his district had closed for the day. But when he turned a corner, he spotted a familiar vehicle. It belonged to Inspector Ming. He saw the car was parked in front of a jewelry store. Through the glass, he didn't see Ming at all. Instead, he saw Ming's wife Jun, as the jeweler handed her the gold necklace he had seen her wearing at the police ball.
Evan prepared himself to say a cordial hello, even though Jun's vain nature had turned him off. He saw her happily leave the jeweler. He called out to her, as he began to cross the street. It took her a moment to place his face but when she did, she gave a polite smile and waved, holding a small bag with her necklace inside.
She advanced towards her car when a smoke bomb ignited right in front of her, causing her to scream in panic. Evan appeared stunned as he saw a large gust of wind zip into the puff of smoke. As it cleared, he saw the hulking blue warrior from the party holding Jun Ming by the arms.
Evan ran towards her, narrowly missing a few stray cars passing on the street. As he got closer, he saw the young woman who had grabbed Jun at the party. She was reaching for the white jewelry bag in Jun's hand. But before she could, Evan grabbed her wrist, twisting it and placing himself between her and Jun.
"Not you again!" Miko squealed in anger.
She slapped him across the face, and then kicked him in the stomach. Evan had been taught never to harm a woman, but this one was feisty. She reached out for Jun's necklace again and Evan swatted her hand away. She tried to connect with several chops and kicks, but Evan's instincts kicked in and he blocked each and every attempt, strategically moving closer and closer to Jun. He ducked at just the right moment, causing her high kick to fly over his head, striking Taiyami across the helmet.
The tall ninja was stunned by the blow from his own comrade.
"Miko!" he shouted.
The young woman began to get emotional and both were taken by surprise when they heard the sound of a whistle. They turned to see it in Evan's mouth. He blew hard on it again, as he had his hand on his holstered gun.
"You're under arrest!" he shouted.
As they saw crowds beginning to gather thanks to the commotion, Taiyami grunted in anger. Evan saw the creature's hand rise, with another smoke bomb. He sprinted towards them and grabbed hold of Jun by the waist, pulling her down to the ground, as the bomb ignited next to them. When the smoke cleared, the two robbers were gone and Evan found himself once again called a savior to Mrs. Ming. It was the bystanders, however, that were doing all of the thanking. Jun Ming was too busy making sure her necklace hadn't been harmed in the assault.
"You're going to be okay," Evan assured her. "I'll call your husband."
"Can you drive me home?" she said, beginning to sob dramatically, while clutching her forehead. "I'm much too shaken up."
"Of course," Evan said, as she handed him the keys.
When they arrived at their destination, he was struck by how large their home was. It was certainly lavish by most officers' standards. Inspector Ming obviously had to keep his wife in pleasant surroundings, given her expensive desires. Evan walked her to the door and she unlocked it, motioning for him to enter with her.
"I don't know why these maniacs keep coming after me," she said. "You can't be too careful these days."
"I guess it can be dangerous being married to an inspector," Evan surmised, as he glanced around the house, which looked more like it belonged to a rock star…or a crime kingpin.
Evan's eyes grew wide as he spotted many items that were much too familiar. When his eyes narrowed on a small golden statue that he had stolen for Yan once, his suspicions were confirmed. Inspector Ming had taken evidence from Yan's crime ring and made them his own. He looked over at Jun, who was fixing herself a drink.
"I know," she said, happily. "It's wonderful, isn't it? If you play your cards right, I'm sure you'll have a place like this someday. My husband is very successful and he takes care of his friends…and his wife."
Evan turned back to that statue and took a deep breath. Ming had disgraced everything his badge stood for. Evan had no idea what to do about it. Loyalty had once again turned to betrayal, he thought.
Deep inside his volcanic home, Drakar stood in front of his stone throne, holding tight to the Lunati sword. He twisted the oval-shaped dial at the base of the handle, causing the sword to transform into its humanoid form. Zel stood before Drakar, casting his glowing green eyes on the chain that extended from his neck to Drakar's wrist. Without a word, Zel quickly grabbed at the chain, attempting to yank it away from Drakar.
The Ferum leader yanked back, causing a surge of his own energy to travel along the chain and strike Zel, temporarily stunning him.
"Why do you insist on fighting me so?" Drakar said. "My only intention is to reunite you with the rest of the Lunati treasure."
"You are evil!" Zel shouted. "I will always resist you."
"My goal is the same as the Hartfords, yet you fought at their side," Drakar shot back.
"You seek the treasure for revenge," Zel said. "That is a mission I cannot honor."
"I guess it's a good thing you don't have a choice in the matter then," Drakar shouted, as he yanked on the special chain once more, sending another current of red energy directly into Zel's body.
"No matter how much you manipulate my technology," Zel said, proudly. "We will never be allies."
"Once I have all of the treasure in my hands, you will have no choice but to honor me," Drakar said.
He unleashed another major current of his energy that stunned Zel so strongly that he was forced to turn back into his sword form, which Drakar quickly locked, not allowing him to transform again. Drakar stared into the lava pit below him. He was determined to have the treasure, at any cost.
As the day began its transformation into night, Miko found herself tied to a two-story wooden post in the middle of a grassy field. She stared at Taiyami as he studied the two scrolls in front of him and stared into the sky periodically, glancing at the sun.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked, as fearful tears fell from her eyes. "Why would you turn your back on Dark Shadow after all we've been through?"
"Because Dark Shadow has become weak," Taiyami spoke, his voice deep and emotionless. "I have no more need for weakness. No more need for any of you, except you, Miko. You will be instrumental to my plan, my living sacrifice."
"You're scaring me. What are you going to do?" Miko asked, her voice quivering.
"I'm going to get the power I deserve," Taiyami said, finally turning to look at her. "You had so much potential, Miko. Look around you! Do you remember this place?"
Miko glanced around the barren field, which did not invoke any memories for her.
"This is where I found you all those years ago," Taiyami said. "Just a baby, abandoned and alone. I saw so much potential in you, potential for power. You've been such a disappointment."
Miko's fear turned to sadness.
"I blame Yukito. He poisoned us with humanity," Taiyami said. "With his humor and need to cause chaos. Chaos does not lead to power!"
"Taiyami, please—"
"No!" Taiyami said, forcefully cutting her off. "It is too late for begging. The time has come to have ultimate power."
He raised his fist towards her and then opened his palm, revealing the dark blue jewel inside his hand. Miko saw it and grew more nervous at what he could be planning.
"I will finally have the power you were all too dumb to grasp," Taiyami said, with a chuckle.
At that moment, the sound of an aircraft piercing the clouds in the sky above could be heard. Taiyami could tell it was flying low and as he spotted the smoke trail, he saw the Helio Zord heading towards them. He glanced at Miko, who also saw it. She smiled a bit.
"He will not save you!" Taiyami shouted.
Taiyami pulled his dual blades from behind his back and joined them together, forming one weapon. He aimed his double-bladed naginata at the Helio Zord. Taiyami built up his own energy, as he gripped the crown jewel in his hand around the weapon. The naginata began to glow blue in his grip. The jewel's extra power caused a large ball of surging blue energy to strike the Helio Zord, which began spinning out of control. The zord hit the ground and slid to a stop several feet away.
"No!" Miko shouted. "Evan!"
With his back to her, Taiyami began to chuckle maniacally.
"I told you he would not rescue you," Taiyami said.
He turned to face Miko and instead found himself face to face with the Blue Hunter, who had his hand blaster drawn in one hand and his Hover Strike in the other. Both were pointed at Taiyami's chest.
"We'll see about that," Evan sneered from under his helmet.
He fired the hand blaster, striking Taiyami with a barrage of laser strikes. He activated the Hover Strike at the same moment. The weapon's wind energy enhanced the laser blasts and sent Taiyami flying backwards right into the Helio Zord, which was on fire.
Evan ran over to Miko and began climbing the wooden post. He transformed his blaster into sword mode to cut the ropes that tied her. But before he could, he heard her piercing voice.
"Look out!" she shouted.
Evan looked over to see Taiyami had emerged from the flames of the crashed zord. His naginata was flying through the air, straight at Evan. It stabbed the wooden post, only because Evan let go at the last moment, falling to the ground. Before he could get to his feet, Taiyami was right in front of him, having moved quick as air. He planted his powerful palm into the Blue Hunter's chest, causing it to spark with damage. Taiyami grabbed his naginata from the post, as he saw Evan getting to his feet. He twisted around, slashing at Evan's chest, causing his suit to ignite with damage once again. As Evan collapsed to the ground, he thought back to his days in Hong Kong, a time when he also felt powerless in the wake of betrayal.
Evan Yukito entered Inspector Ming's office at the police station. Ming offered him a seat. Evan had been curious about why Ming called him there. Had Jun told him that he was inside their home? Did he know that Evan recognized Yan's merchandise?
"You've been rather quiet the last few days. Is everything all right?" Ming asked.
"I've just had a lot on my mind," Evan responded, realizing Ming knew nothing.
"Anything you want to talk about?" Ming asked.
"Trust," Evan said, testing the waters.
"Interesting topic," Ming said. "You're having trust issues?"
"I don't know," Evan said, seriously. "I guess I'm just finding it harder to figure out who I can trust."
"You've had a hard life," Ming said. "But you're safe now. We've welcomed you onto the team. You should always trust the good guys."
In his mind, Evan wasn't sure who the good guys were anymore. Given Ming's carefree attitude and disobience toward the rules, he wasn't sure if good guys truly existed.
"You know I didn't just call you hear to talk about your demeanor," Ming said. "I need to ask a favor of you."
"Yes sir?"
"I'll be out of town this weekend on business. I was hoping you'd look in on Jun for me. She's been rattled ever since that gang struck. I would appreciate you checking on her in my absence," Ming asked.
"Of course, sir," Evan said, deciding not to turn away from a civil duty.
"Good, and when I get back, we'll talk about your future. Your recent heroism has gotten the attention of the upper echelon. You've got people talking and I think I know a way to get that to work to your advantage," Ming said, with a twinkle in his eye.
Evan grew more unsettled by the minute and all he wanted to do at that moment was leave Ming behind. He stood up to leave, nodding his agreement. Ming's cellphone rang at that moment and he answered it, without dismissing Evan, who headed for the door anyway. As he heard a happy female voice on the other end, he heard Ming say that he was looking forward to the weekend away. Evan looked back only to see Ming wave at him, before turning his chair away from Evan.
"Don't worry. It'll be fun and productive, I'm sure," Ming said, with a laugh.
His voice sounded different, Evan thought. He sounded devious, as manipulative as Evan remembered when dealing with Yan and Lau. Evan's head filled with images of Ming embracing the wife of his fallen comrade. He left the office and the police station with bruised naiveté and a longer list of broken trust.
Chris Hartford sat in the black leather driver's seat of his new car in the rear driveway of the Hartford mansion. He ran his hands around the steering wheel, sporting a huge grin. The passenger side door opened and he saw Jessica standing there.
"Hop in," he said.
Jessica slid into the passenger seat and closed the door. She took a look around, lowering her glasses so she could see instrument panel on Chris's side of the car.
Jessica said, "I take it you're having a good birthday, even if it is a bit late."
"You know what? I don't care. I'm just glad to be home…and alive," Chris said, with a smile.
"Does that mean you don't want my gift?" Jessica said, with a smile.
It was then that Chris noticed she was carrying a large manila folder.
"You know me. It depends on what it is," he said, slyly.
Jessica handed him the folder and he opened it. Chris was instantly curious as he thumbed through a pile of documents, letters and records.
"What is all of this?" Chris said, looking over at her.
"I remembered what you said at the hospital," Jessica said. "And, if you really intend to help Addie, I thought you should know the whole story. That's a complete dossier on the Malcolm family, everything I could find. Everything you ever wanted to know about Addie Malcolm, with some additions made by me to fill in some of the blanks since she joined forces with Tarok."
"This took a lot of research," Chris said. "Thank you. It's an unconventional gift…but I'll take it."
Chris noticed Jessica nervously playing with a ring on her finger, that he had never noticed before. Again, his curiosity grew.
"Did you get engaged since the last time I saw you?" he asked.
Jessica's face contorted, showing her shock over the question. When she followed his eye-line to her finger, she realized his mistake.
"No," she said quickly. "It belonged to Garza's parents. It was their wedding ring."
"And he gave it to you?" Chris said. "So I did miss something."
"He's gone, Chris," Jessica revealed. "He left it to me."
"Gone? For real?"
"No one's seen him since the Ja'Vey were destroyed," Jessica said. "This is apparently all he left behind."
"That has to make you feel better," Chris said. "Leaving you his family ring is a pretty big sign that he's coming back."
"I'm not so sure," Jessica said, knowing the ring was actually a piece of the Lunati treasure. "I think he left it to say goodbye, so I wouldn't have a reason to go after him."
"I don't understand," Chris said.
"It's Lunati," Jessica blurted out. "The Lunati pendant was melted down and made into this ring."
"Oh," Chris said, obviously surprised. "Well, I can see how you'd take it a bit differently than I thought. He's a fool though for leaving you."
"Thanks," Jessica said, somberly.
"Since you're wearing it, I'm guessing you haven't told dad about it being part of the treasure," Chris said.
Jessica sighed, "No."
"Don't worry," Chris said. "My lips are sealed as long as you need them to be."
Jessica smiled.
"Well, what are we waiting for then?" she asked. "Let's take this baby for a test drive!"
Chris's face lit up, as he gripped the keys, placing them into the ignition.
"Evan, please get up," Miko pleaded, still tied to the wooden post.
Taiyami laughed.
"I told you he's not strong enough to defeat me!" Taiyami asserted, as he picked up the two scrolls, unrolling them both. "Once the moon rises, the power transfer will begin."
Evan lay motionless on the ground near Taiyami's feet. Every part of his body ached, but he knew he had to get up. He had to gather the courage to stand up and continue fighting.
Evan Yukito found himself once again inside the home of Jun Ming. It was the weekend and he was fulfilling his promise to his boss and mentor by checking in on his wife. Evan had wracked his brain, trying to figure out how he would continue doing his job under Inspector Ming, knowing that he had taken stolen merchandise as his own.
Deep down, he wanted to say something, do something. Ming was tarnishing the reputation of every person to wear their uniform and Evan feared that Ming was also disrespecting his fallen comrade by cavorting with the deceased officer's wife. Evan stared at the riches around him, looking for the courage to do something. He heard the sound of Jun's high heels hitting the marble floors of the house, as she approached him. He turned to see her carrying a drink in one hand and her gold necklace box in the other hand.
"Are you happy?" Evan asked her.
The question seemed to catch her by surprise.
"Of course. Look at my life. What's not to love?" Jun said.
Her flighty tone signaled her lack of substance. She didn't have a care in the world that didn't involve jewelry.
"But…don't you wonder how Inspector Ming can afford all of this?" Evan wondered.
"He affords it, because he wants me," Jun said, as she walked over to a large painting, another of Yan's stolen treasures. "As long as I am happy, he is happy."
Evan knew just how wrong she was. Her husband was cheating on her and he had a feeling that she didn't care, as long as she had these…objects to keep her company. He watched as she removed the painting, revealing a safe embedded in the wall. Evan watched, as she keyed in the combination and placed her prized golden necklace inside. Evan shook his head, as he heard her gentle hum. He no longer felt sorry for her and Jun Ming had just given him the courage to stand up to her husband's hypocrisy.
Evan pulled himself to his feet, letting out a fierce cry of fury towards Taiyami. The ninja warrior turned quickly, only to be met with a punch from the Blue Hunter. Taiyami was not moved by the strike, which did little damage. Evan swung his arms wildly, trying to inflict whatever damage he could, but he did no damage.
Taiyami chuckled, before punching Evan squarely in the chest, with the Lunati jewel planted in his fist. The force of the blast knocked Evan backwards. His back hit the wooden post with a massive thud. Miko felt the wooden post shake as the Blue Hunter collided with it, falling to the ground.
"Yuki!" she shouted.
Evan was not down long, however. He managed to stand up.
"I won't let you win," he said, breathlessly.
His voice was so low he wasn't sure Taiyami heard him, but he had.
"You know the difference between you and me, Yukito?" Taiyami spoke. "I was always the better warrior!"
Taiyami extended his hand, causing a swirl of wind energy to begin forming. The blast shot out of his palm towards the Blue Hunter. Evan quickly raised his own arm in response.
"Hover Strike!" Evan shouted, causing his weapon to materialize.
He activated its wind power, striking back at Taiyami's swirling energy. Evan moved himself forward, despite the force of Taiyami's assaulting wind. Taiyami watched in shock as Evan resisted his power. He intensified the swirling energy, forcing a loud grunt. But the Blue Hunter kept pushing forward. He pulled his blaster in sword mode with his other hand and kept pushing closer to Taiyami until he was within striking distance.
Evan slashed the blade across the ninja's chest, causing him to halt his attack. Taiyami's chest lit up in sparks, as he staggered backwards. He went for a swift kick but Evan ducked, striking Taiyami across the chest again. The ninja did not fall. He pulled his naginata from behind him, slashing down at Evan, who blocked the strike with his weapon. The double-bladed naginata struck down on the hover strike, causing sparks to fly, but Evan refused to budge under the pressure, until Taiyami kicked him in the side, jabbing his kidney with his foot.
Evan staggered backwards and Taiyami swung around, twisting the blade in his hands. He slashed upwards, sending the Evan flipping backwards and crashing to the ground. Taiyami chuckled once again. In the distance, Taiyami could see the moon making its first appearance.
"You've both out of time!" Taiyami decreed, locking eyes with Miko and seeing the terror within her.
He continued to laugh as he turned his back on both of them and cast his sight back on the two scrolls waiting for him. Taiyami gasped, as he saw the owl Waza ripping one of the scrolls to shreds in the distance. Where had he come from, Taiyami thought furiously.
"No!" Taiyami screamed.
He extended his palm, sending a swirl of wind out of his palm, grabbing hold of the owl and forcing Waza into the air. Taiyami stormed closer to him, as Waza levitated, suspended in the air out of his own control.
"You miserable fool!" Taiyami yelled. "You have the audacity to turn on me!"
"Taiyami," Waza uttered, as he could feel his organs tightening under the grip of the creature five times his size. "You don't need this power."
"But I want it!" Taiyami shouted. "What would you know about power?"
"I know…it is not always…obvious!"
Waza's eyes glowed red and in that moment Taiyami began to lose his grip on the owl. He flew higher into the air, as a blue swirl of smoky energy surrounded Waza. Inside the increasing blue smoke, Taiyami could see smaller, exact copies of Waza swarming around him.
"Some power is not meant to be unleashed!" Waza spoke, his voice dark and chilling.
The ravenous pack of astral owls unleashed their assault on Taiyami, striking him at different parts of his body, like bullets piercing a target at rapid fire. Miko's jaw dropped, as she watched Waza unleash a power she had never seen before. She looked to the ground and saw Evan was still down.
"Evan!" she shouted.
Waza began to weaken, as he knew he would. His power was too strong for such a small body, but he had no choice. As the swarming, striking owls he projected began to slowly disappear, Waza descended closer to the ground. He was losing strength quickly and he had to make it count.
Drakar paced around his volcano, unable to shake the thought of revenge that had festered in his soul for months and months. He wanted revenge on Ian Hartford. He turned towards the internal entrance to his volcanic cavern. Drakar stared at the wall where he had crushed Ian's spine against the hard rock face.
But Ian was on the road to recovery, Drakar knew. Ian had the chalice. Ian had the sacred water. Drakar seethed. He had to piece together the Lunati treasure first. As he turned to his throne, he realized that he had the one piece of the treasure that could help him. He picked up the Lunati sword, reattaching the chain to his wrist. He turned its dial, allowing Zel to transform once again.
Before the Lunati warrior could even gain his bearings, Drakar yanked on the chain, sending a strong current of energy surging into Zel's body. He pushed the creature against the rock wall, holding tight to the chain around Zel's neck.
"The time has come for you to prove your worth," Drakar said, angrily. "Everyone knows you're a formidable weapon, but I'm much more interested in what you can show me."
"I do not understand," Zel said, as he fought against Drakar's powerful energy.
"You led me to the Lunati spring before and now you're going to lead me to the Lunati shield!" Drakar held even tighter to the chain, slowly heightening his energy focus on Zel. "And this time, I won't be leaving empty-handed!"
Waza struggled to get himself off the ground once more. Taiyami was still struggling with the last of his projected energy doubles, but they wouldn't last much longer. He was growing weaker by the moment. Waza summoned the last of his strength and fluttered behind the wooden post, lowering himself to the spot where Miko was tied. He clawed at the ropes, until she was free. They both fell to the ground by the post.
"Waza," she called out, as she took the bird into her hands.
Waza looked at her with his glowing eyes, sensing his astral projections would soon be gone.
"You must destroy the other scroll," Waza whispered to her.
Miko glanced over to the ground, where Taiyami's final scroll lay on the ground. She looked down at Waza, as a tear fell from her eyes. She nodded, placing him on the ground. Miko took off running towards the scroll, as the last of Waza's energy copies disappeared.
Taiyami clutched his chest in pain at the strikes, but he was not giving up. He caught sight of the moon out the corner of his eye. He was not out of time yet. He saw Miko running for the scroll and as she picked it up, Taiyami caught hold of her wrist.
"You really did have such great potential," Taiyami spoke deviously.
"No!" Evan shouted, as he grabbed Taiyami's arm, trying to free Miko from his grasp.
She dropped the scroll, as she felt her wrist breaking under Taiyami's grip. Miko screamed in pain. Taiyami raised his other hand, which still held the Lunati jewel. As the blue glow of the jewel was visible in his fist, he pounded it into the Blue Hunter's chest, sending Evan crashing back to the ground. Taiyami turned all of his focus on Miko. His faceplate slid open, causing her to scream even louder. He grabbed his double-bladed naginata, which glowed with the enhanced energy from the jewel. He brought the weapon up to deal a devastating blow. Miko cowered in fear, as the weapon came down towards her.
At the last moment, Waza flew in front of Miko, shielding her from the strike. The energy from the naginata pierced the owl, and he fell to the ground. Miko was thrown several feet by the wave of energy, which sent her crashing into the wooden post she had been tied to. Taiyami glanced down at the fallen Blue Hunter.
"I guess you'll have to be my sacrifice!" he said, as he picked up the final scroll and began reading the spell written on the parchment.
A thunderstorm broke out, as his voice read through the ancient text. There was no rain, but the sky was soon filled with several strikes of lightning, touching down on the ground around him, getting closer to the body of Evan Yukito.
Taiyami raised his other hand, opening his palm as if he were offering the jewel to the gods above. He continued to read with conviction. A lightning bolt connected with the jewel in his palm, causing it to glow even brighter. The blue energy surged all around him. Taiyami knew the transfer would soon be over. He only needed to seal the incantation with the human sacrifice. He glanced at the ground and saw Evan Yukito…was gone.
Taiyami's head whipped around quickly to locate him and Evan appeared directly in front of him, with his blaster sword. He sliced through the final scroll, as Taiyami screamed in shock.
The lightning storm intensified and with the incantation left unfinished, the lightning surges focused on Taiyami, lighting up the field. Despite his suit's visor, Evan had to cover his eyes, as a dozen lightning bolts rained down on Taiyami and within seconds he was gone, leaving behind only the Lunati jewel and a dark, burnt circle on the grass, smoking heavily.
Evan fell to his knees, taking long, heaving breaths. He crawled over to Miko, checking her pulse. She was still breathing. He made his way over to Waza, who was unmoving. The owl's glowing red eyes turned dim.
"Waza, hold on," Evan said, desperately.
"I have lingered for too many centuries," Waza muttered. "I am ready to rest."
"You can't go," Evan said. "Dark Shadow needs you."
"Dark Shadow is no more," Waza said. "I traveled at Taiyami's side for many generations and I will find him again on the other side."
"No—"
"Protect her," Waza said.
"Miko will be fine…and so will you," Evan said, sadly realizing the reality of the situation.
"He was wrong," Waza said. "The difference between you and Taiyami was that you were always loyal. You'll find your way."
Waza's eyes closed for the last time and Evan was filled with anger, sadness and despair all at once. He had no idea what to do.
Three years in the past, Inspector Ming returned from his weekend trip and as he walked into headquarters, he was greeted with strange stares from every comrade he passed, as he headed towards his office.
"What?" Ming called out, but none of them answered.
They all seemed to have looks of contempt on their faces. Ming entered his office to find the superintendent waiting for him. Ming saw the anger on his face. The SP pointed down at Ming's desk and he walked closer, seeing a pile of documents with highlighted entries dealing with the Yan case and the evidence that had been collected there. There was a stack of photographs with those documents, each showing pieces of Yan's spoils that now resided in Ming's house. Ming looked back up at his superior officer with a look of shock. He shook his head in protest, but the superintendent hadn't come there to listen. He nodded towards the door and Ming turned to see officers entering to arrest him.
Jun Ming exited her car and walked happily towards her lavish home on private property. She rifled through her purse and found her keys, despite carrying four large designer label shopping bags. Jun placed her key in the lock and opened the front door. As the door swung open, she walked in and her smile disappeared. She let out a piercing scream, dropping her bags, as she saw her house was barren. All of the riches that her husband had bestowed upon her were now gone.
"Hiroshi!" she yelled for her husband, but heard nothing.
She ran to the safe on the wall, which was now completely visible, since the painting had been confiscated as well. Jun quickly keyed in her code and opened the door to find her prized golden necklace was also gone.
Jun let out a bellowing whine that echoed through the halls of her vacant house, as she slid to the ground, crying into her hands. At that moment, her cellphone rang. It was her husband, calling for her help.
On the streets of Hong Kong, Evan Yukito walked, with his hands in his pockets. He passed a couple reading the front page of the newspaper with great interest, at the corruption scandal that had been uncovered at the police station. As he caught sight of the headline, he smiled.
He was no longer in uniform and he no longer cared. Evan turned a corner, entering a rather dark alleyway and he came to a stop as he heard something moving in the darkness. As he saw the three figures emerge from the shadows, he smiled.
"Sorry I'm late," he said.
Taiyami stood tall over him, with Miko at his side and Waza on his shoulder.
"Why have you called upon us?" Taiyami asked.
"I have a proposition for you," Evan said. "I'm looking for a change and I like your style."
"Why should we trust you?" Taiyami asked.
"Let's just say I'm looking to cause a little chaos and I don't think the justice system is going to help me do that," Evan said. "I assure you that my talents can bring you what you seek."
Evan glanced at Miko. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and revealed the gold necklace from Jun Ming's safe. He offered it to her, and was happy to see her signature smile return.
"You can take this as a token of my loyalty," Evan said, as he attached the chain to Miko's neck.
"I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," Waza said to Taiyami, who let out a troubling groan.
The doorbell rang at the Hartford mansion and Spencer answered happily, as he did on most other occasions. But as he opened the front door, he was stunned by what he saw on the porch of the house.
"Dr. Hartford, I believe it's for you," Spencer called out.
Seconds later, Ian Hartford rolled up to the doorway and saw Evan Yukito standing on the porch with Miko unconscious in his arms.
"Please," Evan said, meekly.
They could see the weakness in his eyes, as he fell to his knees, dropping his tracker at their feet. He completely collapsed next to Miko on the porch.
Ian looked up at Spencer, who appeared as dumbfounded as he felt. Ian looked back down at the two bodies on his doorstep and let out a deep sigh.
THE END
Next time on
Quest for the Lunati Treasure
Drakar closes in on the Lunati shield, with
Zel's reluctant help, but he may have some
competition for control of the last piece of the
treasure, with Bishop lurking. The Hartfords
must decide what to do about Evan, who
is left to prove his honesty.