Only moments after the Ninjetti departed the monster alarms in Tommy's lab began to go off. Haley immediately moved to the console and pushed some buttons to bring up the image. Her brow furrowed in suspicion at what she saw. "That's strange." she stated.
An invisaportal had opened up and dropped three Tyranodrones in the center of the courtyard in front of Reefside's municipal building. The early risers who had business at the courthouse quickly scattered as they noticed the three mutants – dropped donuts, spilled coffee and scattered newspapers were all that remained as evidence of those who'd swiftly fled.
The Dino Thunder Rangers gathered around and looked over her shoulder. "Where are the rest of them?" asked Ethan.
"Don't they usually travel in packs?" asked Kira simultaneously.
"What are they doing?" added Conner after a moment of observation.
The Tyranodrones were acting peculiar, even for them. They just stood together as if waiting for something. They hadn't even menaced those citizens who were slowest to get away. The Dino Rangers looked at each other. Haley muttered to herself as she ran a scan of the area.
"Maybe it's some kind of trick?" Kira suggested, even as she shrugged indicating that she didn't know.
"All the scans indicate that there are no other mutants in the area. No monsters, or anything else." stated Haley – she almost sounded offended at the weirdness of the situation.
"Should we…do something about them?" offered Blake.
"Yeah!" agreed Hunter enthusiastically. "Those are the guys we're supposed to take on, right?" indicating Cam, Blake and himself.
"Yes, Hunter, "answered Kanoi, "but we must proceed with caution. We have initiated our opening gambit…this may be Mesogog's."
"Three of them, three of us…it hardly seems fair – to them." Hunter crowed. Cam grimaced at Hunter's grasp of odds-making.
Kanoi, sensing that this indeed was the beginning of the battle that would engage them all, nodded his assent. There was so much he wanted to say; so much knowledge he wished he had time to impart. But time was now their enemy. He had to trust that these young people had the strength and ability to see the battle through to the end. The loss of any one of them didn't bear thinking about. And he could not allow any doubt or worry to color his thoughts lest he pass it on to them.
Kanoi gestured and gathered the Rangers to him. They stood in a circle – Wind Ninjas to his left, Cam and Thunders to his right, Dino Rangers in the middle. Automatically they all clasped hands. Kanoi deliberately called up the power in each one of the young people around him – the ninja elements responded, and even the ancient dinosaur spirits came to his call. Cam was staggered by his father's ability and for the first time saw him truly as a Master Ninja, and not just his father.
Cam's awe was transmitted through the circle, but was absorbed by the power that had been generated. Each Ranger had a brief taste of the power that was in the hands of the others. And overwhelming all of this was Kanoi's faith, pride and confidence in each one to accomplish the task ahead. He gave them a moment to take it all in, and then deliberately broke the circle. "It is time. May the Power protect us all." Kanoi bowed formally to the group, and then stepped back.
Haley's attention was diverted from the screen and watched the small gathering with awe. When Kanoi had called upon the power, Shane, Tori, Cam and Hunter had all been powered up into their ninja training suits. Haley wasn't clear on why Blake hadn't changed clothing as well – maybe he hadn't brought the suit with him? It didn't seem to her to be that important, but Haley could tell that Blake was a little discomfited by his lack.
Hunter could sense it as well, and clasped Blake firmly on his shoulder. "Time to kick some mutant butt, bro!" The look that passed between them seemed to say It doesn't matter what you're wearing – I know you've got my back. Blake nodded at Hunter, encouraged. Cam joined the Thunder ninjas, standing by Hunter's side and took a ready stance. He nodded to Haley. "Ready when you are."
She nodded resolutely in return. "We'll be in audio contact with you at all times. I'll let you know if anything strange happens." She glanced toward the screen where the trio of Tyranodrones still stood waiting. "Well," she amended, "anything stranger…"
In a flash of light the ninjas were transported away, leaving the Dino Rangers and Wind Ninjas in the lab. Kanoi gestured to Shane and Tori. "One battle has begun, we must begin another. Come."
Shane and Tori followed Kanoi toward the main seating area of the lab where they had meditated before. It's funny Tori thought how familiar this spot is to me already. Quickly and proficiently the three ninjas settled into meditative poses. Unlike their earlier excursions where Kanoi had taken the lead, Shane and Tori took the lead in tandem with Kanoi as their anchor. They weren't trying to mind-speak Dustin, but to reach him on a more primal, elemental level. They in turn would anchor him if the Ninjetti Rangers were unable to prevent Mesogog from attempting to leech his Earth energy from him again.
With the Ninjetti, Thunder and Wind Rangers all engaged, the Dino Rangers were left gathered around Haley at the main computer console. For a moment no one spoke.
"This is just weird." Conner exclaimed.
Kira nodded in agreement. "Yeah…just standing here while other people are fighting…"
"…and not being able to help them out…" Ethan finished.
"Welcome to my world." Haley muttered under her breath, echoing Ethan's catchphrase.
The ninjas teleported into Reefside in flashes of green, crimson and navy energy. They landed together on the sidewalk on the south side of the courtyard facing the municipal building. The area was still deserted though the Tyranodrones had still not made a move.
Cautiously, the three ninjas approached; Hunter took the lead. In spite of his earlier statement declaring he was ready to "kick some mutant butt", Hunter was experienced enough not to rush thoughtlessly forward. He assessed their surroundings as they moved forward looking for possible ambushes or areas to take a stand.
Directly behind the position where the ninjas had landed was the street. At this time of the morning the traffic was light; Hunter hadn't noticed even one car going by. Considering the size of the buildings and the number of people that must work in the municipal building alone, Hunter determined that there must be private parking somewhere out of sight on the far side or underneath each building. That was good – it would keep unnecessary civilians from getting involved. They were walking on a wide cobblestone path leading to the open area of the courtyard – the three of them easily walked abreast without crowding each other. On either side of the cobblestone path were two sets of stone chess tables with low stone benches. Trees provided shade for the small recreation area and created a park like setting.
The end of the cobblestone path opened up to a wide courtyard area, also laid with cobblestones. The courtyard was wide and sunny, enclosed on three sides by buildings. The buildings flanking the east and west sides were a shopping center and an office building respectively. The north side of the courtyard was dominated by the stately municipal building.
The shopping center was slightly more upscale than the smaller shops lining Reefside's main street, catering largely to the inhabitants of the office building. The two story building was faced with many windows with a variety of items on display. A large kiosk was stationed on either side of the mall's courtyard entrance – one selling gourmet coffee, and one selling newspapers and magazines. The proprietors of each stand had wisely taken refuge inside the mall when the Tyranodrones arrived.
The office building opposite the mall was also faced with windows, but they were reflective, not transparent, and their mirrored surfaces did not allow outsiders to see in. The ground level floor of the five story office building was given over to a modestly priced and very popular restaurant. The restaurant served only lunch and dinner, so they had no patrons at this time of the morning. However, many early risers enjoyed taking their coffee and newspapers and sitting in the outdoor seating area in front of the restaurant. A low stone wall, more decorative than functional, separated the outdoor seating area from the rest of the courtyard.
The focal point of the courtyard, nestled centrally between all of the buildings, was a circular fountain. On each primary compass point, three shallow steps led down to the fountain itself. It was a popular place for those with bag lunches to sit, taking a break from their duties at work. At the secondary compass points between each set of stairs, trees again provided shade and a park like atmosphere. The municipal building, on the north side of the courtyard, rose like a transplanted Tara, straight out of Gone with the Wind. Three sets of five shallow steps led to the main entrance. Wide, white columns flanked the main doorway, and two large flagpoles displayed the Stars and Stripes as well as California's state flag.
Hunter took this all in as he, Blake and Cam approached the fountain. The Tyranodrones remained motionless on the far side of the fountain, ignoring the ninja's approach. Wordlessly the group split to make their way around the fountain – Hunter and Blake moved to the left, Cam walked around to the right. They regrouped on the north side of the fountain and took up ready stances. Every instinct Hunter possessed screamed that the situation was wrong – they hadn't been attacked…it was almost like they were invisible.
Hunter glanced to his left and caught Cam's eye. He knew what Cam was thinking. All of their ninja training taught them to fight only in defense; they drilled their students over and over to wait for their opponent to make the first move – not to initiate a battle. All of Hunter's experience showed that mutant alien henchmen always mindlessly attacked, so there was never any question about an appropriate response. But this situation was different.
Weirdly different. Hunter hesitated.
As Blake shifted his stance between the other two ninjas the Tyranodrones finally moved. The one in the center stepped forward, and then fell flat on its face. It didn't even put out a hand to break the fall, just crashed to the cobblestones and lay unmoving. Almost simultaneously the other two also collapsed.
"What the...?" Blake asked incredulously. "We didn't even touch them."
All three ninjas exchanged looks but didn't drop their ready stances. All three scanned the area warily. "Haley?" Cam called out. "What's going on here?"
"They're dead." answered Haley's disembodied voice. "They literally dropped dead, and there's no other mutant activity registering in the area."
"I don't get it." Hunter stated. "Is there anything going on anywhere else in the city? Was this some kind of distraction?"
"No." answered Haley. "There's no activity anywhere else. I…"
Haley's report was interrupted by an invisaportal opening above the three fallen Tyranodrones. It deposited a group of twelve Tyranodrones - very much alive - and sucked up the dead ones before it closed. The Tyranodrones now facing the ninjas didn't hesitate, they immediately attacked.
"This is more like it," Hunter stated as he ducked below the wide-armed swing of one drone while spinning to kick the legs out from under another.
"I don't know," Blake retorted as he exchanged blows with his own opponent, "I think I liked it when they just died."
Cam didn't join in the banter. He simply focused on the fight. He had an overwhelming sense that finally, the battle had truly begun.