Hunter scrambled to his feet and took a brief moment to survey the courtyard as he struggled to catch his breath. He'd been tossed away from Conner and the drone he was fighting on the southwest side of the courtyard. Conner paused briefly to make sure Hunter hadn't sustained any serious damage, and then streaked toward the office building, leading the drone away from Hunter's position. Hunter was glad to note the Dino Rangers seemed to be getting the upper hand on the Tyranodrones; not a big upper hand, but a slight advantage. Kira and Ethan were both using their newly discovered SuperDino Mode to their advantage, and Conner continued to use his speed against their attackers.
All three were now using the trick Conner had discovered first – the Tyranodrones seemed willing to follow their particular ranger wherever they were led. As long as the ranger didn't leave the fight, the drone would follow. Although the drones were single-minded in their attack, they were most fierce when they were first dropped through the invisaportal. The longer they fought, the more likely the Rangers could do some permanent damage. As long as they had Haley in the lab calling out the best time to attack based on energy fluctuations, the Rangers could conserve their energy running the drones around in circles and do the most damage when the time was right. Hunter could only hope that the other side didn't have an endless supply of the drones because the Rangers could only keep up this level of fighting for so long.
Ethan and Cam were fighting on the north side of the courtyard, obscured from Hunter's line of sight by the fountain. The sounds of their battle carried clearly over the wind that had begun to pick up. He had a better view of Kira and Blake who were fighting on the east, close by the coffee kiosk. Kira had just blasted her Tyranodrone with a Petra-yell, giving both her and Blake a chance to catch a second wind. Hunter watched as Blake turned his face to the sky and took in a deep breath. As if he could feel his brother's eyes upon him, Blake turned toward Hunter with a grin. Hunter knew what he was feeling because he could feel it too. There was a serious storm rolling in; maybe with a little luck, soon he and Blake would have more to offer in the fight. Drawing on the power of a storm was trickier than calling on a more stationary power like earth; but if this storm broke anywhere in their vicinity, both Bradleys would be ready.
Hunter turned his attention back to Conner, but his assistance wasn't needed any longer. With one final blow from the Tyranno Staff the Tyranodrone lay unmoving on the cobblestones. Without needing to consult, Conner simply gave a "thumbs up" to Hunter and streaked off to help Ethan and Cam; Hunter joined Blake and Kira. In short order the two remaining drones were defeated. For a moment, nothing happened. Thirty seconds went by…then a minute.
Everyone waited expectantly. For the duration of the fight, as soon as the last of the set of three drones dropped, an invisaportal opened sucking them up and dropping another trio. Kira turned questioningly toward Hunter. "Do you think that's it?" she asked.
Hunter shrugged. He had a growing sense of disquiet. They might be getting a breather, but the battle wasn't over. Something was coming. He scanned the sky for any hint of a green whirlwind.
Conner, leading the others, jogged over. "You okay?" he asked of Kira as he reached out to touch her shoulder.
"Yeah. You?" she replied. Conner nodded as his faceplate snapped opened. In spite of the respite, none of the Dino Rangers unmorphed. Everyone scanned the sky.
"There's a storm building fast." Blake commented as he moved to stand closer to Hunter.
"Ummm…" Hunter grunted in reply.
"Articulate." was Cam's succinct observation.
"Haley?" Ethan inquired. "Any idea about what's going on?"
"No idea why Mesogog …dropped any more Tyranodrones. No other … activity to report in that area. I'm worried … storm is … interfere with communication …what it will do to the teleporter. Ask Cam … ever had …problem … interference."
Ethan put his left hand to the side of his helmet and bent over as if that would help with the reception of Haley's message. The static was making him wince. "Did you guys get all of that?"
"I think I got most of it." Kira replied, turning to Cam. "Haley wants to know if the storm will interfere with the use of the transporter."
Cam held his hands out in an "I don't know" gesture. "We didn't use the transporter a lot…I mean, I ran a million simulations, but bad weather was never a very big factor."
Kira was nodding as Cam explained. "Did you get that, Haley?"
"Yes." All three Rangers were visibly relieved when Haley's voice came through loud and clear. "I've tweaked the frequency on the communicators, but if the storm really hits, it's going to be difficult to stay in contact with you." A peal of thunder punctuated her comment.
Hunter's sense of foreboding increased. Usually, a rapid storm rolling in like this would make him feel powerful, but today he felt like it was working against him. In spite of his apprehension, Hunter could feel the storm renewing his strength. As good as it felt, he knew he didn't need it as much as the others. Making a snap decision, Hunter grabbed Conner by the elbow, and swung him around to face the other two Rangers.
"Wha…" was all Conner could blurt out before Hunter started barking orders.
"Grab hands." He barked at the Rangers. Startled, everyone obeyed. "Blake – to me." Cam, understanding Hunter's intention, stepped back from the group and scanned the sky intently, waiting for the next assault.
Hunter situated himself behind Conner, with his hands on the younger Ranger's shoulders. Blake was similarly positioned behind Hunter. Ethan and Kira watched Hunter expectantly. Hunter closed his eyes, and centered himself. He could feel Blake doing the same. Slowly he opened himself to the power of the storm around them; he knew what he was about to do was going to kick-start the brewing storm into an all out onslaught, but the Dino Rangers needed a boost, and the storm was where they could get it.
Hunter could feel the elements of the storm coming together – all of the pieces were there, but they hadn't gathered enough momentum to really get things going. So he gave them a little push. Hunter could feel Blake riding the storm with him, and though his outward expression never changed, inside he shared the thrill of the storm with his brother. There was nothing else like it.
You take the top…I'll take the bottom.
Blake didn't hesitate; he rode an updraft into the accumulating clouds and focused his energy on pushing the moisture in the clouds to higher levels. Hunter rode another draft to the lowest level of the clouds; here he increased the temperature, causing the wind and water at the base of the cloud to move more rapidly. Once those forces had been set in motion, Blake and Hunter fed more and more energy into causing the storm to explode.
It was difficult to contain the forces building in the storm; one person would not be able to manage it. They had to create just the right amount of imbalance to keep the storm in balance. It was why the Thunder ninjas trained in pairs. It was also difficult to judge how much energy to give to the storm – too little would have no effect and be essentially wasted; too much and the storm could break totally out of control. But, energy given to cause a storm to break could be reaped a hundred fold in the right situation. Hunter had the feeling that this storm was about to give them more power than he'd ever imagined.
The early morning sky darkened to an eerie, bruised yellow tinted with grey. The grey was quickly overcome by black looming clouds. In the distance lightning streaks lit up the sky, followed by booming echoes of thunder. That was what Hunter had been waiting for. Electricity crackled along every nerve as Blake and Hunter soaked in the power of the storm. But instead of holding the power and renewing their own waning strength, Hunter passed the power through Conner to the DinoThunder Rangers.
All three of the Rangers gasped as the raw power flowed through them. Their hands clenched convulsively and they held onto each other for support. It was too much for them to handle. The power of the storm did not blend well with the power of the Dino gems. They might have had "thunder" in their name, but it wasn't enough. Hunter could tell immediately that his plan was not going to work, at least not in the way he'd intended. The raw power of the storm was not the right source of energy for the Rangers. If it had been given to a ninja used to working with elemental powers, they might have had more success, but as it was, he needed to stop quickly or risk frying what remaining strength the Dino Rangers had.
Hunter released Conner, and the Red Ranger staggered forward two steps. Conner shook his head. "Whoa!"
Kira and Ethan were leaning on each other, both breathing in ragged gasps. Ethan managed to blurt out, "Tingly!" even as he shook his hands from Conner and Kira's grasps and tried to rush the feeling back into his arms.
"Sorry, dude." Hunter apologized, as he stepped forward to steady Conner. "Are you guys okay?"
"Whoa. Whoa!" exclaimed Kira as Blake came to her side. "That was just…WOW! I feel AWESOME!"
"Yeah!" Ethan agreed, "Like supercharged!"
There was no more time to compare notes as a yell from Cam – "Incoming!" – indicated the arrival of another invisaportal dropping fresh Tyranodrones on the courtyard. The Rangers split up; drawing off their individual drones, and the battle began again.
SEVERE WEATHER ADVISORY a weather advisory has been issued from the National Weather Center to all costal regions of California. Due to sudden and severe storm activity and unusual fluctuations in the tide, LARGE AND SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES had been issued. Citizens in coastal areas are advised to secure their homes and crafts, and seek higher ground.
SEVERE WEATHER ADVISORY A GALE WARNING has been issued from the National Weather Center to the central coastal region of California. Unusual wind currents have created gale conditions in from Sonoma County down to Santa Barbara County. Citizens are urged to remain indoors.
SEVERE WEATHER ADVISORY – SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING is in effect in San Mateo County. Intense storm cells have accumulated in the San Mateo County area – rapid and repeated lightning strikes have been observed. Citizens are urged to remain indoors: avoid using the telephone, taking a shower, washing your hands, doing dishes, or having contact with conductive surfaces, including metal doors, window frames, wiring and plumbing as long as the storm persists.
The battle in the courtyard was fierce; the fiercest it had been all morning. Both sides were impeded by the heavy rain and wind. The Rangers had some protection from the elements in their suits, and their helmets kept the wind and rain out of their faces. Of the ninjas, Cam had the most difficulty staying on his feet. Buffeted by the wind he barely managed to stay in the same general area as Ethan and the Tyranodrone he was fighting, but he never gave up, and managed to land the occasional blow.
Hunter and Blake were using every iota of the storm to their advantage. Because of their connection to the Thunder power they were able to move within the storm instead of being pushed around by it. It was unlikely a storm of this magnitude would last for long, so both Bradleys threw everything they had into the fight. Blake and Kira had again drifted toward the east side of the courtyard– they were fighting closer to the fountain than the kiosks in front of the department store. For the first time since they'd begun fighting Blake was actually having some effect on the Tyranodrone. His confidence soared, and the power of the storm allowed him to fight with an intensity he'd never felt before.
Conner and Hunter had taken their fight to the south side of the courtyard, nearly to the cobblestone walkway and stone chess tables. The Tyranodrone had managed to separate Hunter from Conner and with a vicious kick sent Conner sprawling against one of the stone benches. Conner had lost his Tyranno Staff, and lay stunned. The drone raised its mutated sword arm to deal a fatal blow, but an explosion of lightning knocked it flying back toward the fountain.
Conner rolled and grabbed his staff just as Hunter came running up to him. With a groan, Conner used the staff to give him some leverage for getting up off the ground. "Did you do that, dude? It was a little close…"
Hunter reached out to assist Conner. "No I…" Hunter's reply was cut off with a gasp as he made contact with Conner. Power from the storm coursed through him into Conner – unlike earlier when the dino gem had fought the transfer, this time the power flowed easily. It didn't make any sense, but Conner wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
"Thanks for the boost!" Conner called as he ran back toward the fountain to engage the drone that had recovered from the blast.
Hunter stood stunned; something had happened, but he wasn't sure what. Ever since they were children, he'd always been able to sense Blake's presence in a storm. They could feed off each other, and pass the power back and forth. But whatever had just happened with Conner gave him the same feeling. Although Conner was running away from him, Hunter still felt connected. He turned his full attention to the feeling of that connection – if he was right, he could feed Conner the power of the storm and make him nearly invincible as long as the storm lasted. He didn't know why he couldn't do the same for Ethan or Kira, but it didn't really matter. He could feed Conner all the power he needed…and then they'd win this thing.
Hunter was so engrossed in channeling the power of the storm to Conner that he didn't notice at first that the situation had changed. The lighting was flashing so rapidly, that the change in the light from yellow to green didn't even register. But Cam noticed. "Incoming!" he yelled again, but his voice was lost in the storm.
The newcomer dropped from the invisaportal on the west side of the fountain. As he gained his feet, Zeltrax looked around impassively. Quickly he identified his target – the Red Ranger. Without hesitation, Zeltrax strode forward. Conner had just landed a flying kick to the Tyranodrone's chest sending it crashing to the cobblestones. As he landed on his feet, Conner streaked away and stopped about halfway between Hunter and the drone. There he waited, expecting the drone to follow him. Seeing Zeltrax there was a surprise.
The Tyranodrone scrambled to its feet, prepared to follow Conner. Zeltrax stopped it by blocking its path with his outstretched sword. The drone, only programmed to follow two orders did not acknowledge Zeltrax's unspoken command. Again it surged forward attempting to get to Conner.
"No need to fight over me, guys. There's enough to go around!" called Conner. He felt so energized by the power Hunter had given him, he felt like he could take on the world.
Zeltrax grabbed the Tyranodrone by its collar plate and swung it around to face him. He then shot a searing bolt of energy into its chest sending it flying toward the low wall in front of the restaurant.
"Or not…" Conner commented. He cocked his head to the side and gestured to Zeltrax, "I guess I'm all yours."
Zeltrax didn't respond, he just rushed forward to engage Conner. As Zeltrax got closer, Conner could see that he had changed. His body armor was the same, but his helmet was grotesquely misshapen and appeared to be too small for his enlarged head. Conner could immediately tell that this fight was different. There would be no streaking away, no taking a break, no nothing – this fight was man to man, until one way or another, it was finished. Conner shut his mouth and put on his game face; he had business to attend to.
Zeltrax closed in fast. Conner quickly switched from his Tyranno Staff to his Thundermax saber. He met the first blow from Zeltrax with his saber overhead; the clash of steel rang out in counterpoint to the peals of thunder overhead. Conner was a little disoriented by Zeltrax's new style of fighting – there were no snarky comments or threats – just single-minded focus on destroying the Red Ranger. Now I know how Dr. O feels when they go at it.
Even with the power boost from Hunter, Conner was not faring well. Three direct strikes to the chest landed him on the ground. Hunter dashed in front of Conner, attempting to cover him long enough for the Red Ranger to get back on his feet.
"No, Hunter!" yelled Conner from his position. He knew there was no way Hunter could take any kind of blow from Zeltrax; without the protection of a Ranger suit, Hunter would be dead before he hit the ground.
Drawing on reserves he didn't know he had, Conner shouted, "Super Dino Mode!" A flood of power coursed through him, revitalizing him and giving him enough energy to get up off the ground and physically tackled Hunter out of the way of the impending strike. The two of them rolled together, and Conner jumped up in a defensive position in front of Hunter.
"I can take him!" Conner yelled and before Hunter could respond he had run back into the fight.
Hunter was tense with anxiety; this was wrong, everything about this fight felt wrong. Something bad was going to happen, and he felt helpless to prevent it. He knew he would be more of a hindrance than a help in the fight against Zeltrax, so Hunter concentrated on providing Conner with as much power from the storm as possible to augment his Super Dino Mode.
Hunter was focused so intently on Conner and his battle with Zeltrax that he never saw the true danger. But Cam did.
SEVERE WEATHER ADVISORY – FLOOD WARNING is in effect in San Mateo County. Intense storm cells have accumulated in the San Mateo County area – in the past half hour over an inch of rain has fallen in many areas. Due to the recent rains, flooding in low lying areas is likely. There is also a danger of mudslides. Citizens in flood prone or mud areas should seek shelter in higher elevations immediately.
Fighting the Tyranodrones was difficult – fighting them in a hurricane was nearly impossible. Cam knew that technically this storm was probably not classified as a hurricane, but it didn't really matter while standing in the middle of it. The only good thing about the storm was that the Tyranodrones were having just as much trouble fighting the elements as the Rangers were. They had to expend an awful lot of energy just staying on their feet, and any expenditure of energy on the part of the drones was good for the Rangers.
When the second invisaportal opened on the west side of the fountain, Cam yelled out "Incoming!", but he wasn't sure anyone could hear him over the noise of the storm. He didn't get a look at what was dropped from the invisaportal, but as far as he could tell there was nothing new attacking Kira and Blake, and nothing had come to harass Ethan. Cam was sure that wasn't a good thing, but he couldn't get a good view of the opposite side of the fountain to see how Hunter and Conner were faring.
Cam turned his attention back to Ethan. The Blue Ranger was taking a pounding from the drone that had pushed him up the steps in front of the courthouse; they'd traveled as far as the second set of stairs. Ethan's dino armor was protecting him, but he couldn't seem to break free from the Tyranodrone's attack. Cam dashed up the stairs, gaining as much speed as he could against the wind, and swiped the drone's feet out from under it. The maneuver gave Ethan enough time to break away and regain his footing as the drone toppled backward down the stairs. The wind was in his favor for once, and Ethan allowed it to give him a push as he dashed away from his relentless pursuer.
A errant gust of wind knocked Cam away from Ethan; he landed inelegantly on his ass at the base of the second set of steps facing the fountain. Struggling to his feet he saw something that caused his breath to catch in his throat. From this higher elevation Cam could see Conner and Hunter clearly. Conner was fighting someone, but it wasn't a Tyranodrone. Cam scanned the area trying to make out shapes in the storm. He didn't see any prone figures littering the courtyard which meant Conner's drone was somewhere on the loose.
Cam's heart began pounding in his chest. Earlier in the fight they'd figured out that a Tyranodrone not fighting a Ranger would go after civilians. Of the six people fighting in the courtyard, only one wasn't dressed in some type of a uniform. Even as he spotted the rogue Tyranodrone, Cam knew he was too late. Kira and Blake were too caught up in the battle with their own Tyranodrone to see the other one coming toward them.
Watching Blake and Kira fight from a distance was almost like watching a ballet. Blake stood like a conductor on the lip of the fountain, arms raised, and his back toward Cam. With Blake's help controlling the wind currents in her immediate area, Kira was able to use her flight mode to give her a tactical advantage over the earth-bound Tyranodrone. She alternated pounding it with her ptera-grips and shooting it with her laser. The Tyranodrone programmed to fight Kira paid Blake no attention at all, not realizing that he was the reason she could take flight.
"Blake!" Cam screamed in desperation. He ran toward their position like a man caught in a nightmare – able to see every excruciating detail but powerless to change anything.
"BLAKE!" he screamed again, reinforcing it with every shred of mental power he had.
So complete was Blake's concentration that Cam's mental voice didn't reach him, but his desperation did. Startled, Blake looked over his right shoulder to where Cam was running toward the fountain – waves of panic and danger emanated from the green ninja. Blake couldn't make out where the danger was coming from, until a half-second later when the solid thunk of armor meeting flesh warned of disaster and the metal shaft of a mutated Tyranodrone arm protruded from his chest.
For a moment, there was no pain, only surprise. Blake couldn't quite connect the bloody spear sticking out the front of his shirt as being connected to his body. Even as his fingers reached out to assess the actuality of the gaping hole in his chest it wasn't quite real. But when the Tyranodrone picked him up off of his feet to shake him in the direction of the Red Ranger, and all of his body's weight was crushed upon the spear, pain was all he knew.
Kira's scream of agony echoed his own as the drone shook him again. Fruitlessly, Blake attempted to get a foothold on the fountain, desperate to take the pressure off of his chest, but he was suspended to high to do it. Something crashed into the Tyranodrone from behind – Blake supposed it was Cam – and the forward momentum allowed Blake to find some purchase with his feet on the edge of the fountain. But the transfer of weight did not ease the agony in his chest. In fact, it only made it very clear that he was no longer able to breathe.
Blake looked down again, fascinated by the bright red stain that spread across his chest. He shook his head and looked up seeking Hunter. Hunter's pale and stricken expression was etched into Blake's consciousness even as he gave his big brother a look saying, "How did this happen, bro?"
Blackness covered Blake's vision as his mind left his body. It didn't even register when the drone planted a foot on his back and kicked him off the spear. He didn't feel himself crash onto the fountain's rim. He didn't hear the screams of the people around him. He didn't witness the storm explode.
WE INTERRUPT THIS PROGRAM FOR AN IMPORTANT WEATHER BULLETIN – Good morning, this is Pete Crenshaw, meteorologist for Channel 7 News. The National Weather Service has issued a number of unusual warnings for our area for this time of year, but this is no joke, folks. As you can see on our exclusive Doppler Radar, the storm cells are concentrated in over the town of Reefside in San Mateo County. The areas of red indicate the most violent cells of the storm. As you can see in this exclusive live radar picture, the storm is expanding from the inside out. Even as we're looking at it, the area of red and orange are increasing rapidly. I've never seen anything like this before. All citizens are urged to take shelter, and if you live in a flood zone, evacuate as soon as possible. If you do not live in a flood zone, DO NOT LEAVE YOUR HOMES. Roads should be clear for emergency vehicles only. The governor has declared a state of emergency. Stay tuned for Channel 7 news for updates and information. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.
Zeltrax maneuvered the fight around until his back was to the fountain. Conner was holding his own with his power up in Super Dino Mode and assistance from Hunter. But Zeltrax was about to raise the stakes. With a grunt, he tossed Conner away from him. The Red Ranger bound instantly to his feet. Zeltrax called up a shield around them. The pounding rain slid off the glowing dome giving it the appearance of an underwater shelter. Conner held up his saber warily unsure of what to expect.
About ten feet separated the fighters. Conner felt a brief flare of panic – What is this supposed to be – some sort of cage match?
For the first time in their encounter, Zeltrax spoke. "Now Red Ranger, it is finished." He let loose with a searing bolt of orange energy aimed directly at Conner's head. Conner had nowhere to dodge. The energy crashed into his brain as if the helmet was made of tissue paper; it didn't dissipate after a few moments, instead the pressure grew. Zeltrax was trying to get inside his head!
Conner gave in to all out panic. He could feel Zeltrax attempting to infiltrate his mind. This wasn't an easy sharing like with Sensei Watanabe – this was a grasping, violent, brutal attempt to find everything that was Conner and crush it out of existence. Conner threw up all the mental walls he could, blocking Zeltrax's every attempt to reach inside his mind. His entire consciousness became focused on keeping Zeltrax out, even as Zeltrax relentlessly attempted to make his way in.
Hunter watched horrified from outside the dome. He didn't understand what was happening, but Conner was clearly in agony and at the mercy of Zeltrax. Hunter watched helplessly as Conner fell to his knees, hands clasped against his head as Zeltrax moved slowly closer; the orange beam from his hand never wavering. The dome kept Hunter physically out, but he could still feel his connection to Conner and increased the power he was feeding him from the storm.
Something caught Hunter's attention on the edge of his awareness. Hunter didn't hear Cam; not exactly. No one's voice could carry over the noise of the storm. But Cam's anguish and tone carried clearly under the storm. It drew Hunter's attention, but even as he turned, he knew it would be too late. His mind couldn't process all of the information, but one thing was very clear – Kira and Blake had TWO Tyranodrones in their vicinity, and neither one saw the second one coming.
Hunter found himself in motion without willing his body to move. He'd never make it in time, he knew he never would, but that didn't stop him from trying. The vision of the spear exploding through Blake's chest drove Hunter to his knees and the air out of his lungs. He could see Blake scream in pain – he was sure he was screaming too, but he couldn't hear anything. Hunter staggered back to his feet, fighting the wind and rain that were no longer in his control.
All of his awareness, all of his consciousness, all of his vision was focused on one thing – the red stain that was rapidly covering his brother's shirt. He looked up in horror and caught Blake's eye. Blake's expression was more surprised than anything else. And then the light left his eyes. Hunter snapped and the world exploded.
The storm, which had been violent and unpredictable up to this point, increased in intensity to a level which none of them had ever experienced. Lightning shattered windows and pavement. Wind tore through the courtyard, uprooting two of the trees close to the fountain. All three Tyranodrones were engulfed in flames as lightning struck their armored bodies over and over again. Even when there was nothing left but piles of ash, the lightning did not cease.
Cam, Ethan, Kira – all of their cries meant nothing to Hunter. He couldn't acknowledge their fear or pain. Blake's lifeless form on the edge of the fountain was all he knew. He couldn't get closer to it – walking closer, seeing that Blake's chest no longer rose and fell – Hunter just couldn't do it. He had failed. Failed, and lost the driving purpose in his life. The storm's intensity increased again as Hunter's anguish played itself out in the storm. All that drove him now was a white-hot rage and the need to finish this. The creature that had caused this disaster was still breathing, but his brother was not. Hunter was going to change that.
Whirling, Hunter strode back toward the dome encasing Zeltrax and Conner. Conner had unmorphed and drawn himself up into the fetal position, curled as close to the edge of the dome as possible. His face was hidden in his arms, but the pulsing orange light still pounded at his exposed head. Zeltrax stood over Conner implacably, knowing his power would crush the Red Ranger given enough time.
Hunter raised his arms, and once more lightning flew at his command. Each explosion rocked the dome, but did not appear to have any immediate effect. The pavement was blackened by the repeated lightning strikes; the courtyard was lit in a hyperlight by the unceasing bolts of electricity. Hunter poured more and more energy into the storm; his one and only thought was to crack the dome and annihilate the monster that had caused the death of his brother. The fact that he was pouring out all of his own life energy never gave him pause; what was his own life worth when he couldn't even save his own brother.
The pounding was beginning to have an effect. The dome was wavering under the ceaseless assault. Even Zeltrax had noticed. His helmeted head turned toward Hunter. There was no expression, but Hunter imagined the look beneath the helmet was one of disdain. What did the opinion of the creature matter? He'd be dead soon.
Hunter noticed a fatal flaw in his plan at just about the same time Zeltrax did. Each time the lightning hit the dome it traveled down to the pavement. If the lightning actually broke through and Hunter didn't aim the next strike precisely, Conner was just as likely to be hit by a bolt as Zeltrax. Hunter would have to pause in order to aim, giving Zeltrax the opportunity to strike first. Even as Hunter continued to pound the dome with lightning, Zeltrax drew more energy to his free hand. The orange energy never ceased tormenting Conner, but Zeltrax would be ready to launch an attack of his own the moment the dome collapsed and Hunter had to regroup.
In Hunter's mind, everything became still. It all came down to this. He knew, if he could have given his life for Blake's he would have. If he could trade his life for Conner's he'd do it in an instant. This was the best he could do, and he had no regrets. He faced Zeltrax through the dome, knowing at any moment it could collapse. He would have no time before Zeltrax struck, but he was determined to make his last strike count. He would take the bastard out with him, though he knew he would die trying.
In the eye of the maelstrom all became calm. Hunter found peace in his decision. The sounds of the storm became comforting and soothing. Soon he'd join Blake and everything would be fine.
He never heard the sound of his salvation approaching from the street.
Three things happened simultaneously – the glowing dome collapsed; a motorcycle from out of nowhere crashed into the unprepared Zeltrax; and a figure in a black motorcycle jacket flung itself protectively across Conner's limp form. Hunter didn't hesitate. One after another, bolt after bolt of searing lightning lit up the courtyard as Zeltrax jerked spasmodically with each blast. Hunter got a deep satisfaction watching him burn.
He would have continued indefinitely if Cam hadn't interfered. At first, Cam's presence didn't register at all – Hunter was too engrossed in making sure each molecule of Zeltrax's form was toasted to a crisp. Only when Cam grabbed him by the face and pulled him close enough to scream in his ear did Hunter finally notice him there. And what he said brought Hunter up short.
"If you continue this and Blake dies…it'll be YOUR FAULT!"
TBC
Author's Note - Thanks so much to all of you who've taken the time to read and review. I really appreciate your comments, and the time you take to share your thoughts. I appreciate all of you've who've stuck around even though my updates are not rapid by any stretch of the imagination! Thanks to stormchild, AngelSpirit, Dana, jedi4jesus19, BloomingViolets, CamFan, DTDragonRanger, and Crimson-Ranger for all of your support!
green-falcon - After I read your comments, I pretty much smacked myself in the head. You're totally right - Kim wouldn't have the power bow as a ninja, but I'm just going to run with the fact that she blasted Mesogog with something. I hate not catching stuff like that! Thanks for pointing it out!
Hybyrd0 - I love the ninja trio too! (Like it wasn't obvious) I've had a lot of fun playing with what effects the movement of so much elemental energy would have on the environment. Dealing with this storm of Hunter's won't be a walk in the park for them either.
Pitbossheather - Mesogog basically wants to take over the world :-P ...but now he's got this vendetta against the Red Rangers - Sensei, Shane, Conner and now Rocky are just really ticking him off!
Funky in Fishnet - I hope the story keeps meeting your expectations and keeps you guessing!
Manders - Welcome back! Long time no see! Adam's much more connected to his inner ninja than the other Ninjetti - that's why he's more sensitive to the movement of the ninja power around him.
EK - the "grape flavored train wreck" is one of my favorite parts of this story g> I'm glad you thought Tommy's amnesia was funny - I was going for a little humor there :-)
Melika - welcome aboard - I hope you keep reading and enjoying the story!
MzDany - thanks so much for your continued support!