At the mall, Mia was standing by a rack of clothes, having the time of her life. She had always loved shopping before she came to the Shiba House, unfortunately her duties made taking regular trips impossible. She had seen the advert for the closing down sale almost a month ago, and being unable to resist the lure of 70 percent off, had earmarked a day to indulge her passion. She and Emily had agreed to save up their money to make the most of it.
She had a few outfits draped over her left arm, while she was looking out more, trying to imagine the fun she'd have when she got home, modelling it all for Kevin and seeing him trying, and no doubt failing, to convince her he wasn't bored out of his mind. Teasing him like that was almost as much fun as the shopping itself.
She paused as she saw something that caught her attention. It was a little yellow t-shirt, with a picture of a couple of cute little puppies staring out of it. She smiled, seeing it and picked it up off the rack.
"Hey Emily, I saw something that would look just..." She tailed off as she looked around, finding Emily nowhere in sight. "Emily?"
She started to look around, wondering where Emily could have gone. She was sure she was around here somewhere. She wouldn't have just wandered off without telling her. Eventually, she came to the changing rooms, and started to look around.
"Emily?" She called out. Just then, she turned and saw her standing, with her arms crossed.
Emily was wearing a pair of tan Caterpillar boots, camouflage combat pants and a sleeveless t-shirt. The look was completed with a set of dog tags, and dark shades.
"What do you think?" Emily asked her. "This is a tough look right?"
"Uh...it's an interesting look, but...I don't think it's you." Mia commented, shaking her head. "What are you going for, GI Jane? Oh, but I found something that would look just adorable on you."
As she showed Emily the t-shirt, the Yellow Ranger just rolled her eyes and turned away.
"Damn it Mia, I'm 21, I'm not 8!" She snapped. "I don't want to dress like a kindergartener!"
"Oh...I'm sorry." Mia remarked, hanging the t-shirt up on a nearby rack, confident one of the sales clerks would put it back in the right place. Emily could see that Mia was stunned by the way she spoke to her and instantly regretted it. She went over to her and took her by the arm.
"Mia, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled." Emily told her. "You were only trying to be nice. I guess it is the kind of thing I normally wear. I just wanted something that makes me look a little tougher."
"What's with the sudden change of style?" Mia asked. "Why do you want to look tough?"
Emily just looked to the mirror and took in her appearance. She posed for a moment, and threw a couple of punches. She smiled a little, feeling like she looked a lot tougher.
"Emily, what gives?" Mia asked her. "You never worried about looking tough before. Did something happen?"
Emily just sighed and turned to face her, taking off the shades.
"It was something Kieran said." Emily admitted. Mia just looked to her a little curiously.
"Cody's dad?" Mia asked for clarification. Emily just nodded.
"He said...he said I'm not tough enough on Cody, Spike and Bulk." She told her. "He said that I didn't look like I could be taken seriously."
"He said that to you?" Mia asked, a little taken aback. Emily just groaned.
"I was wearing a flower hair band and a Hello Kitty t-shirt to train them to use swords!" She reminded her. "I guess he has a point. I do look a little..."
"Emily, you are tough, in your own way." Mia interrupted her. "You don't have to prove anything to him. You might not be his idea of tough, but that's just who you are."
"But what if I don't want to be that way anymore?" Emily moaned. "I just want to be taken seriously. I'm just going to pay for my clothes and go home."
She went to the changing room to gather her purchases, while Mia watched her, feeling conflicted. She hated seeing Emily so down, and a part of her wanted to march straight to Kieran's place and give him hell for making Emily feel this way. She knew that at least she should give him a chance to tell his side of the story. She gathered up her own purchases and headed for the check-outs.
Over at the Shiba House, Jayden and Antonio were sitting, playing a game of chess. It was a little slow for Antonio's liking, but Jayden was trying to show him the finer points of the game. Mike and Kevin meanwhile were in the dojo practicing. Just then, the Gap Sensor sounded, rousing their attention.
Jayden ran to the table, opening up the map, which showed the location of the most recent Nighlock activity.
"It's near the mall." Jayden told them. "Kevin, call Mia and Emily. They're close by; they should get there before us."
As they ran from the house, morphing on the way, Kevin dialled his Samuraizer.
Mia and Emily arrived at the site of the battle, seeing Grinataur hard at work, attacking civilians. However, instead of running and panicking, the people were actually fighting each other.
"What's going on?" Mia asked. "Why aren't they running?"
Emily watched as a couple of them overturned a hot dog cart and started to ransack it, greedily scoffing plain buns, and handfuls of pickles and onions. Looking around, she saw another couple playing tug-of-war with a bag of chips, which ended inevitably when the bag burst, showering all the chips on the ground. This didn't stop them falling to their knees and scraping them up.
"They're eating!" Emily told her. "Look, they're too busy eating to notice the Nighlock!"
"Is that guy eating mustard straight out the bottle?" Mia asked, shaking her head in disgust. "Ew!"
"My dirt gives people an appetite for destruction!" Grinataur cackled in delight. "And soon, it'll be your turn!"
As Mia and Emily ploughed into the Moogers Grinataur had brought with him, the rest of the guys arrived to back them up. Mike saw Emily on the ground, holding off a Mooger that had managed to catch her off guard.
"Em. I've got you!" He called out as he cut it down. Emily though took it another way. Instead of seeing her fiancé defending her, she couldn't get Kieran's words out of her mind. People didn't take her seriously. Did that include Mike? Did he think she needed him to take care of her? She looked across to where Grinataur was watching the battle, preparing to pick his spot.
"Time to prove to everyone how tough I can be!" She yelled, running towards him. Grinataur saw her coming and pulled out a sword, blocking as she attacked. She managed to get in a couple of shots, before he finally managed to catch her blade. He slashed across her a couple of times, scoring telling hits across her ribs, before throwing her away from him.
"Hey, how about we play a different game Ranger?" He asked her, throwing a couple of bombs her way. "Dodge ball!"
Emily was only just getting back to her feet, and was not quick enough to avoid the blast. She spun through the air, before landing, unmorphed on the ground a little way off. Her ears were ringing after the blast. She was just getting her bearings back when she saw Grinataur preparing to attack again, this time with the tongue hanging from his main mouth.
"Emily!" Mia screamed as she saw this.
"We have to help her!" Kevin added. Emily could only watch as they ran to help her, only to get hit by the attack that was heading towards her. They both de-morphed, and slumped to the ground before her.
"Mia! Kevin!" She called out. Kevin stirred first.
"I'm so...hungry!" He commented.
"So, very...thirsty!" Mia added. Emily felt a sickening feeling in her stomach as she heard this. They had seen the others eating and eating, with seemingly no way to stop them. They had been hit with Grinataur's attack, they had been affected by his power, and all because she had acted too hastily, putting herself in harm's way to prove how tough she was.
"Antonio, Mike they need help!" Jayden called out as he took down some Moogers with his Fire Smasher. Emily saw the Gold and Green Rangers heading for Grinataur, and everything seemed to slow down. Just like before, she watched him take in a deep breath, and knew he was about to attack again.
"Look out!" She screamed. It was too late though. Two more dirt bombs flew out of his tongue, striking them. Mike and Antonio fell to the ground, de-morphing. Jayden took down the last of the Moogers, and seeing he was now alone in the fight, headed straight for Grinataur. The Mooger fired another dirt bomb, which seemed to hit with far less effect than the others. Jayden de-morphed, but remained on his feet. Grinataur then started to clutch at his sides.
"Aw man, using all that dirt drained me. I'm drying out." He announced, before looking to Emily. "Don't worry though cutie. Once I re-hydrate, I'll be back for you."
As he disappeared, Jayden and Emily started to check on the others.
"Do you have any food?" Antonio asked him. "Chocolate? Chips? Anything?"
"There's food at the house." Jayden told them.
"This is my fault." Emily grumbled. "If I hadn't rushed at him like that..."
"It's too late to worry about that now." Jayden told her. "We need to get the others back to the house...and quickly. I'm starting to get hungry too."
Emily just helped Jayden round up the others, all the time feeling a crushing sense of failure. She had been trying to prove something to herself, and her friends had paid the price for it.
At the mall, Spike ran into Cody, who was wandering around with a huge pile of bags, and a pink leather wallet. Spike just sniggered.
"Hey, it really goes with your eyes." He teased him.
"Ha, ha!" He responded sarcastically. "I found this stuff lying near the food court."
"Someone just dropped all this?" Spike asked. "Who was it?"
"Well, the good thing is that they also seem to have dropped a wallet." Cody told him with a little smile. He opened it, showing him the drivers' licence. "It seems one of our friends took a shopping trip and left with less than they arrived."
"Mia's last name is Watanabe?" Spike commented. "I think my dad met a Watanabe once. I wonder if..."
"Well, we can always ask her when we return this stuff." Cody suggested. "Seeing as your here, want to make yourself useful?"
Spike took half the bags and walked with Cody as they turned to head towards the Shiba House. Spike looked to Cody.
"So, what were you doing here anyway? Is it new comic book day?" Spike asked him. Cody shook his head.
"I was shopping for an outfit for the dance actually." He told him. "I didn't have anything to wear to a formal, and the store had a 70 percent off sale."
"You don't have to make too much effort." Spike told him. "It's not exactly black tie."
"Yeah, but I kind of wanted to look good for my date." He said with a little grin. Spike just looked to him.
"You have a date?" Spike asked him. Cody nodded.
"Yeah, I asked Vicky. She said yes!" He blurted out excitedly. Can you believe that? She said YES!"
"Yeah, that's great." Spike replied quietly, falling a little behind. He had only been to the Shiba House a couple of times, but he had a feeling that this was going to be a very long walk.
Meanwhile, just outside Faslane, Dayu, Toxica and Jindrax assembled; finally ready to make their move. Dayu reluctantly changed back into her Nighlock form, knowing that she would need its power. She took out her Furry Wort pet and set it in a little nook between some rocks.
"Don't leave, don't leave." It begged her. She just sighed, stroking its fur.
"I'm sorry Dekker, but this will be dangerous." She told her pet. "I will be back for you as soon as I have Urumasa."
She looked to her two friends and clutched her harmonium tightly.
"We'll be inside the Gap for a lot longer this time, I need to look around for one that will get us as far inside the complex as possible." She explained, remembering that the last time they travelled by Gap, it hadn't gone smoothly. They both nodded in understanding. Taking their hands, they disappeared.
If travelling by Gap was a strange sensation, then staying in them was an entirely different level. Everything was blurred, and it felt like their insides were being stretched to their limits, and also pressed into a tiny ball at the same time. Dayu used Gaps only sparingly because she feared giving Xandred the opportunity to find her. She knew the one place she was safe from him was in the Land of the Living. In the end though, she knew she had to risk it. She needed to find the right Gap. She drew them out, at which Toxica and Jindrax fell to the ground, disorientated. She on the other hand, was already on the attack. She had recognised Angela, and come through that gap, launching a surprise attack.
She took down the two guards, before firing off a blast as some of the research team made for the door. She heard the alarm and knew it wouldn't be long until they had company.
"Wow, that was...I think I'm gonna be sick." Jindrax groaned.
"Puke in your own time, secure the door." Dayu told him. "We won't be alone much longer!"
She advanced on Angela, who saw a pistol on a nearby console. Dayu just laughed.
"Don't even think about it." She remarked. She pointed through the glass to where Urumasa was sitting. "How do we get in?"
"You can't!" Angela shrieked. "That sword..."
"That sword belongs to someone I care about!" Dayu told her. "Toxica, care to find a way in?"
Toxica blasted the glass, showering the room in shards of glass that should have been able to withstand an explosion. Jindrax finished sealing the door, tearing off the release mechanism.
"Keep an eye on them." Dayu told them. She climbed through the window, entering the chamber. Urumasa started to glow as she approached.
"Yes, that's right, I'm here now." She said reassuringly, coming up to the stand. She reached out for the handle. "I'm here to take you back to...AAARRRGGGGHHHH!"
The room was filled with the stench of burning flesh as Urumasa refused to allow her to grip it, burning far more savagely than she could ever remember. She reached out for the scabbard, and unlike any other time she had seen, it burned her for touching the scabbard too. It started to glow far more brightly, before unleashing a pulse of energy that launched Dayu back through the window, into the wall in the observation chamber. She was badly burned, and clearly in agony.
"What happened?" Toxica asked. "I thought you could..."
"It knows!" Dayu screamed. "Urumasa knows I intend to destroy it! It won't let me near it!"
Just then, a circular saw blade came through the door, creating a cut in it. It came through again, creating another.
"Dayu, can you travel?" Jindrax asked her. "We're not going to be alone much longer!"
Travelling was the furthest thing from her mind; she was struggling to even think, much less move. As a third cut came, they could see the Green Lightspeed Ranger outside in his Rescue Armour. Carter leapt through, rolling to a crouch by Angela and aimed his blaster at them.
"Stop right there!" He called out.
"Sorry pal, but we really need to go." Jindrax replied, grabbing Dayu. Toxica did the same, and without another word, they vanished into the Gap under the desk they had arrived through. Carter helped Angela to her feet.
"They wanted the sword, but they couldn't get it." She told him as her husband de-morphed and climbed through the hole to check on her. "It repelled her."
"What did they want with it?" Carter asked her.
"One of them said they wanted to destroy it." She informed him.
"Maybe we should be thinking of doing the same." Joel suggested. "I mean, look at this place!"
"We don't understand the power in it. Trying to destroy it could cause untold devastation!" Carter reminded them. "Joel, open the door and let the research team in. We need to get that thing contained again."
"But..."
"We can't just destroy it!" He reiterated. "All we can do is try and make sure something like this doesn't happen again."
As Joel morphed again, bringing out his rescue armour to cut open the rest of the door, Carter looked to Urumasa, with one thought echoing in his mind. Maybe the sword had an owner. Maybe there was one that could wield it. If that was the case, seeing the power the sword used to repel others, he dreaded what would happen if it's rightful owner ever came to claim it. Was there anything they could do to stop him?