Ethan was watching the group of Ninjetti rangers as Sensei Kanoi explained the situation to them. He couldn't read from their expressions what stunned them more – that they still had access to their Ranger power, or that they had to save the world...again.
Ethan found himself utterly fascinated by the other Rangers. He had been intrigued by other ranger teams ever since seeing Dr. O's video diary. But watching history on tape was nothing like meeting rangers in person. Crashing into the Wind Ninja Rangers at the beach had been a stroke of unbelievable luck; and hanging out with them at Haley's had been a blast.
But as more and more Rangers joined the mission, Ethan found himself trying to figure out the connections between the teams. He thought he had most of the triangles figured out, and was pretty sure he had pegged the "types" as well. He was itching to get his ideas down in his laptop, or if he had to be really primitive, down on paper. There was so much information floating around in his head and he wanted to get it all in a hard copy somewhere before he forgot it.
It had all started to connect for Ethan the night before when Conner had identified Dustin as the heart of the Wind Ninja's triangle – he'd been juggling permutations of the idea in his head ever since. Hunter, Blake and Cam were fairly easy to figure out – body, heart and mind - though it was interesting that in the ninja group there were two male hearts; that was unusual compared to other ranger groups. Rocky, Aisha and Adam made sense too – body, heart and mind. Though, Ethan argued with himself, Aisha could be argued as a mind with all of her education, and Adam could certainly be a heart. But that wouldn't jive with their placement of where they came through in the dream Conner constructed.
That left Kim and Billy of the Ninjetti Rangers. It was obvious from Ranger lore that Billy was not only a "mind" type...he was the prototype "MIND" type. In all of Ranger history there had never been a Ranger more intelligent. I bet if Haley were a Ranger she'd give him a run for his money. And, they'd learned last night that Dr. O was a "body" type, leaving Kim as the "heart". That made sense, and it fit the more traditional model of having a girl as the heart of any given triangle.
But knowing what he knew (or what he thought he knew), the behavior of the newest arrivals didn't make sense to Ethan. When Rocky, Adam and Aisha had arrived, they'd come together and obviously gelled as a team. They were so tight; they practically finished each other's sentences. Ethan didn't know if Billy and Kim had transported in together, but they seemed to be avoiding any kind of closeness. They reminded him of similarly charged magnets that repelled each other. It just didn't make sense.
Kimberly had chosen to sit close to the "whole" set of Ninjetti Rangers, but didn't include herself in the group. She seemed most drawn to Aisha, and maybe that made sense because they were both heart types. The petite brunette seemed anxious and worried, but it didn't seem to Ethan that it was Mesogog was the cause for her concern – it seemed to be something internal.
Billy too, seemed to separate himself from the group. He sat on an isolated chair, not near the couch inhabited by the other Ninjettis and closest to the door, as if he needed easy access to the exit. They were not acting at all like Ethan would've expected. He understood that their "triangle" was broken; missing a man in the form of Dr. O. But Shane and Tori were "missing" Dustin, and in his absence has drawn much closer to each other. Over the course of less than a day Ethan had watched the Wind Ninjas become so close that they barely needed to use words to communicate. Billy and Kim, on the other hand, were not communicating at all.
Weird - I just wish I could write it all down.
Kanoi was watching the Ninjetti Rangers as closely as Ethan, trying to read their reactions to the news that they still had access to their powers. The shock gave way to either awe or disbelief. Of the five, only Adam seemed unsurprised. That made sense to Kanoi; of the Ninjetti rangers, only Adam had continued to listen to the promptings of his inner ninja. It had caused some searching in his life, but he was probably connected more strongly to his ninja spirit than the others, and could certainly draw Rocky and Aisha into balance with their ninja spirits relatively quickly. Theirs were the faces etched with awe.
It was Billy and Kim who were expressing disbelief and doubt. Though Kim did not seem inclined to speak, Billy seemed to be preparing himself for an argument. Kanoi didn't miss the glance Billy threw Kim's way, but Kim did as she actively avoided eye contact with him. Kanoi had noticed the strain between the Blue and Pink Ninjetti Rangers when they'd arrived, and it didn't seem to be getting any better. However, this was not the time to address past wrongs or misunderstandings – there was something larger at stake. He believed they understood that, which was why they had agreed to come. He only hoped that the tension he felt would not interfere with the mission; failure was not an option.
As was his habit, Kanoi waited until Billy opened his mouth to speak, and spoke to forestall him. "I know it is difficult for you to accept, but it is crucial at this time for you all to understand and believe in the power you possess. Dr. Oliver would not have been able to reach you otherwise." Kanoi drew Billy into eye contact as he spoke, putting the force of his will behind his words.
Billy's mouth snapped shut. He tried again to get some support from Kimberly, and this time she shared a glance with him. Her look was inscrutable, but Billy seemed to get something from it; he relaxed slightly and sat back in his chair. He nodded toward Kanoi indicating that he was ready to listen.
"It is clear," Kanoi stated outlining his plan, "the Mesogog believes he has a technological advantage over the Dino Rangers. His control of the invisaportal network allows him to drop his minions anywhere, and also keeps the Rangers away from his lair. This will no longer be an advantage to him with our ability to teleport Rangers." Kanoi nodded proudly in Cam's direction.
"We have another advantage in that though Mesogog knows that the Wind Rangers are in Reefside, he doesn't know about the Thunder ninjas, Ninjetti Rangers or myself." stated Cam. "How much help Hunter, Blake and I will be without powers...we'll have to see."
"I believe you will all have a part to play in the conflict, Cam." Kanoi responded.
"So what's the plan, Sensei?" asked Shane.
"The plan is three-fold. Undoubtedly Mesogog will attempt to draw out and distract the Dino Rangers with a monster attack. I am somewhat surprised he has waited this long. The Dino Rangers must protect the city." Kanoi stated forcefully; for no matter how strongly he felt about the welfare of Dustin and Tommy, the job of the current Rangers was to protect innocent citizens from harm. The Dino Rangers nodded resolutely in agreement. "This is where Cam, Hunter and Blake will assist. You are all experienced ninjas, and can help the Dino Rangers with ground attacks, as well as making sure the citizens of Reefside are safe."
Kanoi turned to the group on the couch. "The Ninjetti Rangers, with the advantage of stealth, will infiltrate Mesogog's fortress and attempt to free Tommy and Dustin before Mesogog can attack again." Kanoi's expression turned grim as he continued. "If we are unable to reach our friends before the next attack, it is imperative that Mesogog's plan does not come to fruition. No matter what the cost."
The Ninjetti Rangers knew what Kanoi was saying – lives were at risk, not only theirs, but Tommy and Dustin's as well - but one life was not worth the cost of the greater good when the earth itself was at stake.
"We know, from what Tommy explained, the Mesogog will probably attempt to steal Dustin's energy again. He didn't get what he needed on the first try. Shane, Tori and I will sustain and assist Dustin in resisting this attack."
"Sensei...we won't even get to fight?" Shane stated angrily.
"Shane, yours is the greatest fight of all." Kanoi decided it was better to be brutally frank than to sugarcoat the situation. "Dustin is the key to Mesogog's plan. He chose well when he decided which one of you to grab. If there is any ninja's energy most suited to Mesogog's plan, it is Dustin's. Mesogog plans to subvert the earth itself, and with Dustin's earth energy he has a very good chance of success. The Earth will not resist a change initiated by an earth ninja, its how his power works. If it comes down to saving Dustin or saving the earth, a sacrifice may have to be made."
Kanoi sat quietly, letting his words sink in. Shane and Tori were both horrified beyond words. Hunter and Conner each reached out to Shane, as Blake, Ethan and Kira supported Tori.
It was Rocky who broke the stunned silence by rising and crossing the room to add his physical presence to the group on the couch. He knelt before Shane and Tori, and placed his left hand on Shane's knee. "We won't let that happen, Shane. We'll bring them both back. I promise." He turned to gaze intently at Tori, deeply touched by the unshed tears in her eyes; he took her hand in his. "I promise, Tori." he repeated. "We'll bring them back."
Tori blinked back her tears and smiled gratefully as she squeezed his hand. "I'm gonna hold you to that." she whispered brokenly.
At that moment an alarm sounded loudly. Haley looked startled, then concerned. "Looks like you spoke a little too soon about Mesogog holding off on the monster attacks, Sensei." She whirled on her heel and dashed off toward the door to the basement lab. The Dino Rangers were right behind her with the rest causing something of a traffic jam near the top of the stairs.
By the time Kanoi joined the assembled teams, Haley was busily calling up information on the computer screen with everyone crowded around behind her. "It looks like an isolated monster in the quarry." she stated.
"I guess it's time for us to get to work." Conner replied. He moved through the assembled crowd to a clear spot in the center of the room. He felt a little self-conscious calling on the power in front of so many people, but it wasn't like they had a choice. "Ready?" he asked his team as they took their positions flanking him.
"Ready!" was the immediate reply.
In unison they shouted, "Dino Thunder! Power up! HA!"
The others watched with fascination as the Power came over their new friends. Only Haley kept her eyes on the screen, no longer awed by the transformation. Not stopping to chat, the Dino Rangers took off for their cycles and headed off to the quarry.
TBC