The following day, things were busy around the museum, but not because there were many customers or anything, but because everyone was preparing to go their own ways. While the plan had originally been to head out early, those that were leaving had been convinced to go to the museum in order to say their goodbyes.
Chase held Allison, kissing her softly as Tyler and Riley loaded up the jeep. He was bumming a ride to the airport in order to spare himself the cab fare. Allison wasn't thrilled about the fact he was leaving, but she understood why he was. Her family had immigrated to the US, but his mom and his sister were still back home in New Zealand. It wasn't like she could just drop everything and leave with him at the drop of a hat, even if she did have the money for a ticket. Kendall was already losing three full-time staff members for the foreseeable future.
"I promise I'll call when I get there." He told her, cradling her chin with his hand. "I'll e-mail all the time."
"You better." Allison warned him. She was heartbroken to see him go. Although they had, as was the nature of their relationship, tried to keep things casual and had treated it more as a case of Chase going for a holiday, there was a part of her that was realistic about things. His Ranger duties were all that really tied him to the States. While he enjoyed his job at the museum, it wasn't like he made any secret of the fact he didn't plan on it being all he would do with the rest of his life. Although she'd have loved it if he stayed for her, but she wasn't certain they were at that stage in their relationship, and his family was a huge draw to remain in New Zealand. As much as she wanted to be happy for Chase to go, she knew that there was a decent chance that once he got home, if he was never called back into action, that there would be no reason to return. "I'll miss you."
"You know I'll miss you too." He responded.
"Come on Chase, if we wait much longer you're going to miss your flight!" Tyler called out as he continued loading up. "Come and pack some of this stuff would you?"
Leanne reached for one of the suitcases that was lying on the ground.
"Hey, careful that one's really..." Tyler tailed off as he watched her lift it effortlessly off the ground and place it in the back. "...heavy. Whoa!"
"Yoga." She said as she saw him staring at her. "It's a killer workout."
"Yeah...it looks that way." Riley responded. "Hey, don't worry Ms Morgan; I'll only be gone a few weeks. Not all of us are abandoning you for good."
"Say, where's Shelby?" Chase asked. "I thought she'd have been here to see you off for sure."
"We kind of already said our goodbyes." Tyler answered. "So, I guess...this is it."
"Remember, all of you, we're only a call away." Kendall assured them. "There's always a place for you here."
"Good luck looking for your dad." Allison told Tyler. He smiled.
"Thanks. I appreciate that." He answered as Riley and Chase climbed into the jeep. "Koda, if you win a title and I don't see a picture I'm going to be super pissed!"
Koda just nodded in response, but kept quiet. He had already left one family behind, and watching another leave was difficult for him. He knew that Riley was going to come back in a few weeks to renew his scholarship, but there wasn't any such guarantee with Chase and Tyler. Alessandra kept close to his side, holding him in a comforting gesture.
"Ms Morgan, thanks for all the research you did. These notes you made from my dad's journals." He said gratefully. One of the down-sides of the time he'd spent as a Ranger was that he had to delay his search for his father. Kendall had agreed to use what resources she had to help him make sense of his father's diary, and to give him some more ideas of places he might have been in the hopes of figuring out where he might find more information about what happened to him. It wasn't much, but having been searching for months before arriving in Amber Beach, it was the next best thing to have been continuing his search. "When Shelby gets here...can you tell her...?"
"I will." She replied as she handed over her work. "Just let me know if there's anything else I can do."
"Alright, then I guess this is time!" Tyler said as he went to the side of his jeep, swinging himself into the driver's seat. Ivan, Koda, Alessandra, Leanne, Allison and Kendall all waved as they started to pull out. They had barely moved when a cab pulled into the parking lot. Shelby got out, running right for them.
"WAIT!" She screamed, running at the front of the jeep, waving her hands in the air. Tyler had to hammer on the brakes as she stood in front of the jeep, slamming her hands onto the hood. "Thank God I'm not too late."
"Shelby? What the hell?" Chase called out. "We almost turned you into a greasy spot on the parking lot!"
"Thank God you haven't left yet!" Shelby reiterated, ignoring Chase. Tyler just looked confused.
"Wait...what are you doing here?" Tyler asked her. "I thought you said last night..."
"About that, I've been thinking about this a lot and..." She said, going back to the cab driver and taking a bag out of the back. "I thought, maybe I could go with you?"
"What?" Tyler asked.
"WHAT?" Kendall added, her eyebrows shooting up. Shelby just looked to Tyler, shifting a little uncomfortably.
"Well...your dad was a Palaeontologist so; maybe it might be handy to have a di-know-it-all along for the ride?" She asked him.
"Uh...Shelby?" Kendall tried to interject, only for Shelby to ignore her.
"I can pay my own way and..."
"I'd love that!" Tyler said, hugging her tightly.
"Uh...Shelby?" Kendall said, trying again to interject.
"Guys! Make some room!" Tyler declared, at which Shelby threw her bag into the back and started to climb in.
"Tyler, this is already a pretty tight fit..."
"Come on Chase, you only have to make it as far as the airport." Tyler reminded them. "Alright guys, it's been awesome!"
With that, he pulled out of the parking lot, leaving the museum behind. Everyone was waving...all except for Kendall.
"SHELBY!" She screamed after the jeep, but by now they were already turning out onto the main road. She just threw her hands up in the air. "Great, now I've just lost another full-time employee! Good GRIEF!"
"Come on Ms Morgan, you still have us." Allison reminded her. Kendall just sighed and nodded in response.
"Well...come on then." She responded to them. "Ivan, Koda, you're with me. Those last two Energems won't find themselves."
Meanwhile, on Sledge's ship, Fury, Curio and the newly-repaired Wrench were busy taking stock of their situation. The battle and the following crash had left the ship in a bad way, but it was for the most part intact. It would serve, at least for the time being as a shelter if nothing else. Poisandra was somewhere in the ship, searching every possible nook and cranny for her beloved Sledge, leaving most of the rest of the work to the others. Curio put down a crate, opening it up to reveal some freeze-dried snacks.
"Most of the perishables have...well...perished, but we do have some rations." Curio stated as Fury looked to the packets of food. "It should last us a while at least before we need to find new supplies."
"That's something at least." Fury said gruffly, shuffling around the packets. The prospect of a diet of jerky, canned food and freeze-dried meals was not exactly appealing, but right now he didn't have much of an option. It wasn't like Sledge's money was worth much on Earth, even if they could find a shop that would sell to them and not immediately raise the alarm. He wasn't above theft, but right now they were in no real state to start another war with the Rangers, at least until they formed a long-term plan. "Wrench! What's taking so long with the diagnostic?"
"I told you this would take time!" Wrench yelled in response. "I'd be a lot further on if that useless bunch of pillows had put me back together correctly."
"I did my best..."
"You didn't think there was something wrong when my knees bent BACKWARDS?" Wrench complained loudly. "You put my legs on back to front you flea-bitten...!"
Fury just snarled and slammed his sword down to make a point. It wasn't lost on Wrench.
"Propulsion and life-support are shot. We won't need life-support since we're on the surface now, but we're not getting this thing off the ground any time soon." Wrench said as he showed Fury the schematics he had managed to put together on one of the few working computers. "I should have heating up and running soon. Fortunately the Magna Beam and the cloaking device are still working."
"At least we know the Rangers won't disturb us until we've managed to regroup." Fury answered. "Now we have a ship full of prisoners, so we have no shortage of soldiers. There's plenty of work to go around, so I don't want to see anyone slacking off."
"Who died and made you the boss?" Wrench asked in response. Fury just clenched his fist around the handle of his sword tightly.
"Do you want to dispute the matter?" He asked. Wrench thought about it for a moment, before shaking his head. Fury closed over the cases of food and locked them shut.
"If we are going to be living here, I want this place back in a liveable condition as soon as possible!" He stated. "If I see anyone not working, they don't eat! Is that understood?"
Wrench and Curio both nodded, at which Fury finally relaxed.
"I'm glad we understand each other." He replied. "Now, my quarters were destroyed, so I'm going to see if I can find anything worth salvaging and find the best available cell for myself. You two get everyone working!"
Over at the airport, Tyler, Shelby and Riley left the terminal after seeing Chase to the gate. They were being escorted out by security, who did not seem at all pleased with them.
"OK, OK, we're leaving!" Riley protested as he was shoved roughly out the door. "Jeez, trust Chase to get us into trouble with airport security."
"Well at least they let him through the gate." Tyler chuckled in response. "I was sure he was going to miss his flight."
"So, I guess the next stop is Millport." Shelby said with a bright smile as they got back into Tyler's jeep. "So are you looking forward to being home?"
"For a while, sure." Riley answered. "I've missed my mom and Matt and Rubik like crazy, but after a few weeks of mucking out pig pens...I'm sure I'll be more than ready to get back to work."
"Ms Morgan said you'd be starting college level work next year." Tyler replied as he pulled out. "That sounds pretty awesome."
"It is, I just need to figure out what to major in." Riley told them. "I'd also like to help Ms Morgan with her search. I think I might have a theory where the other Energems might be."
"Really?" Shelby asked him.
"Well, when I say where...I mean I think I might have a theory as to where they might have gone." Riley clarified. "The Energems are connected to the dinosaurs that were used to make the Zords right?"
"Yeah?" Tyler asked.
"Well...the Ankylo Zord was found on Gosei's island." Riley reminded them. "Which means that whoever found the Aqua Energem..."
"Must have been on Gosei's island!" Tyler concluded. "But...only the Megaforce Rangers went there..."
"That we know of!" Riley corrected him. "Remember that we found the island by accident. Maybe someone else did too."
"But the Aqua Ranger showed up in Amber Beach." Shelby added. "He saved Leanne and Allison."
"All that means is that he left the island. The reason he left the Ankylo Zord is probably because he couldn't find the island again when he left." Riley said, voicing his theory out loud. "And since the closest possible coastline to Gosei's island is in Harwood..."
"Harwood's only a few miles from Amber Beach." Tyler concluded. "We could have missed the Aqua Ranger by moments and not even known it."
"Have you told Ms Morgan any of this?" Shelby asked him. Riley just shook his head.
"It's mostly conjecture and guess work." Riley admitted. "I'd really like to do a little more work before I suggest any of it."
"Well I'm sure you'll have plenty of time for that." Shelby answered. "So, how about us Tyler, where are we going?"
Back at the museum, things were a little more fraught than they should have been. Koda and Ivan had been put to work dealing with the exhibits, leaving Leanne and Allison in the cafe. Since the rest of the team had departed, Kendall had shut herself up in her lab.
The door opened, and a man walked in, taking a look around. He smiled as he saw the exhibits. He was no stranger to museums, he had advised quite a few in his time. He was dressed in tan combat trousers and an aquamarine plaid shirt. James swept some hair from his face and took a deep breath as he prepared for what he was sure would be the hardest thing he'd ever do. He made his way over to the nearest exhibit, checking the plaque on it.
"Ankylosaurus." He mused quietly. "It's been quite a while hasn't it?"
"Actually that's one of our newer exhibits." Ivan said as he came up to the man. "We've had that one on display now about...four months?"
"It's a marvellous specimen...it's completely intact!" He commented as he looked around. "I don't think there's a single replacement part."
"They were very robust creatures." Ivan stated. "I believe Ms Morgan said...they were like a Sherman Tank on legs."
"That's a pretty accurate description. I think I'd like this Ms Morgan." He answered.
"Well, unfortunately she is rather busy at the moment." Ivan told him. "I could make an appointment..."
"No, there's someone else I'm here to see." James said nervously. He started to fidget uncomfortably as he looked to the young man standing before him. "I've been told that...Tyler Nevarro works here?"
"I'm afraid your timing has been most unfortunate." Ivan replied sympathetically. "I'm afraid Tyler has left."
"Oh...well...is he on shift tomorrow?" James asked him.
"You misunderstand sir. He has left the city." Ivan clarified. "In truth, I do not know if he will return."
"I see." James replied sadly. He had hoped to see Tyler, to finally explain to him what had happened all those years ago. He had originally intended to leave the city himself when he confirmed that Tyler was there. He had been pursued by the monster ever since he had found the mysterious aquamarine crystal a decade ago. He had not returned home to his family out of fear he would endanger them by leading the creature to them. However, before he left, he had heard of the battle and felt irresistibly drawn to help. It was well underway by the time he arrived, though he had arrived in time to see the Red Ranger fall from the spaceship. He used all the powers his crystal gave him to catch the stricken Ranger.
The Red Ranger was so weak when they landed that he had removed his helmet to help him breathe more easily. He got the shock of his life when he realised that he was staring into the face of his son.
He had fled when he heard the others approaching, fearing it was not time yet to answer questions, but now he had a chance to think, he realised...his son was just like him. He had somehow found powers just like him. His suit was similar to the one that James could summon in times of need. He had thought, if his son had those powers...perhaps he would not be in danger revealing himself. Perhaps he could finally tell his son why he hadn't seen him since before his eighth birthday. Ivan could see that the stranger looked troubled.
"I may be able to get him to contact you." Ivan suggested. "You are...?"
"I'm..." James paused, and thought better of it. He no more looked like the father of an 18 year old son than this stranger looked like a grandfather. "I'm a friend of the family. I was in town and I thought I'd catch up."
"Well, I'm sorry you missed him." Ivan stated.
"So am I." James responded as he walked away. He bumped into Kendall as he was leaving. "Sorry miss."
"That's alright." Kendall responded, barely looking at him. She paused for a moment a few steps later, turning around only to see him disappear out of the door. She furrowed her brows, before shaking her head. "No, it couldn't have been."
"Ms Morgan?" Ivan asked her.
"Could you and Koda meet me in the lab right away? We've got a lot to discuss about what we do next." She told him.
"I'll fetch Koda immediately." Ivan told her as he went to find Koda. Kendall looked once more to the door, before shaking her head and dismissing what she thought she had seen. She'd been through a lot recently. Clearly her mind was playing tricks on her.
FIN
A/N: Well, there it is folks, I've FINALLY got to the end of the Dino Charge portion of the story, but fear not...the story will continue!
I'd like to thank all my loyal readers and reviewers. I know there have been a lot of delays and such. While some of this is down to me finding it difficult to get a hold of the source material and having to wait for it to air here, and some of it is down to adulting and other RL BS that is nowhere near as fun as writing these stories, I am well aware that I am quite a way behind. Thank you all for your patience, and fear not. The story will continue soon.