Wrench was making his way through the corridors, making some calculations on a handheld device as the residents of the Warrior Dome awaited Tangleweb steadying his stomach enough to prepare for round two.
Madame Odious had come up with a pretty masterful plan all things considered. Compared to the previous couple of monsters, she had managed to come up with one that had managed to take out four of the five Rangers, and leave them ripe for the picking. If Wrench was honest, were it not for the expectations of the audience, the best option would be to take Tangleweb out of the fight altogether, put him somewhere nice and safe under lock and key until he digested the five Rangers he had and they had "liberated" the Power Stars from him. Four out of five was a pretty good start, and would leave them with only one Ranger, one that as far as he could see was one of the weakest on the team, and only a single Power Star to face them.
He knew, however, that Cosmo would never be able to call off the remainder of the fight. The audience was waiting with baited breath to see if this was the end of their latest surrogate, the Rangers. They wanted to see if this was the monster that would take them down for the count, and they weren't willing to wait days or even weeks to get their answer. He was so deep in thought, he didn't notice he wasn't alone until a hand grabbed him and hauled him into a side room. He steadied himself as he was pressed against a wall and tried to get his bearings. Madame Odious was standing before him, smirking as she saw him.
"My my, such a busy little worker bee aren't we?" She asked him. "Cosmo's latest little pet project. Wrench isn't it?"
"Um...yes?" He managed to make out weakly, so nervous that he was having difficulty remembering his own name. Odious just smirked.
"You know, I've got to say, you may not have been here long, but already you've made such a name for yourself Wrench. Not many people ever make it out of their internships, never mind so quickly." She commented. "And look at you now, chief engineer. Cosmo must think really highly of you. It almost makes me wonder, apart from your engineering skills, what other skills do you have locked in that little head of yours?"
"Uh..."
"I mean, being good at your job is all well and good, but we all know it is those that expand beyond their roles that truly shine isn't it?" She asked him. "Take me for example. I'm a talent manager. I look after the interests of my signed talent, make sure I put them in the best positions, get them the best deals and ensure that they're always in the top position on the card."
She placed a hand on his chest and started running it across his breastplate.
"Of course, if that's ALL I did, then I'd never get anything like the prominence I do here." She told him. "I look after my talent of course, but I've always got my eye on the latest acquisition, on the next step...the Next Big Thing."
Wrench didn't answer; he was far too worried about the fact that as far as he could see they were on their own. No one could see him or come to help him. He could only think about his time in her lab. That human, the one he had believed to be dead, he had ran off when his eyes opened...had this human seen him? More importantly, if he had, what had he told Odious?
"I work on a number of side projects here." She told him. This had Wrench worried, was she confirming that she knew he had been in his lab? "Some of them pan out, others...not so much. I just don't feel it's worth bringing every little experiment, every little acquisition to the board room until I'm sure of its merit. Sometimes...it's best that some of these experiments remain...buried."
Wrench was internally screaming now! She knew! She had to know he had been in her secret lab! She drew closer to him, seeing that he was already weighing up if now was the time to run for his life.
"We all want what's for the best don't we?" She asked him. "For every one of my talent that makes it, I would estimate there are at least a thousand that Cosmo never even hears about. There's no need to bother him with every little detail. He's busy enough isn't he?"
Wrench just nodded furiously. She smirked, and gently tapped his cheek with her hand.
"So glad we understand each other." She told him. "Oh, and as much as I like the work ethic? Be a little more careful when walking around with that palm pilot. This ship can be a dangerous place. I'd hate to see our latest rising star end up somewhere he's not meant to be and something...unpleasant...happen."
Wrench just nodded and hurried off, under no false impressions as to what this was. This was a shake-down. Odious was most definitely up to something, and now she knew that she had seen her secret lab and what was in. Whatever she was up to had something to do with those humans he had seen in her lab, and whatever that was, if she was willing to sell out one of her own contracted talents to be dissected by Ripcon and Galvanax, what was she willing to do to protect her latest project?
Down on Earth, Tangleweb was wandering around some streets, clutching his stomach.
"I don't feel so good." He moaned. "I think I ate too fast."
"Hey!" Calvin called out as he arrived, standing before the monster. "You give me back my friends!"
"You again?" Tangleweb asked him. "How did you...?"
"An eight foot spider walking around town draws a little attention." Calvin replied, his Ninja Sword in his hand as he had his new Power Star secreted behind his back. He knew that the Nexus Prism was intending him to use the motor cycle, but he also knew that the bike was inside Tangleweb. He stood before him, levelling his sword at him. "You walked off without dessert!"
"What?" Tangleweb asked. "You want to be eaten?"
"I just want to help you work off some of that meal!" Calvin said, rushing for him, slamming his Power Star into place. "Element Star, Fire Slash!"
Inside Tangleweb, the Rangers were continuing to struggle, trying to find a way out of the webs. The biggest issue was that they were all bound so tightly none of them could reach their weapons to try and cut themselves free. Hayley looked to Calvin.
"I don't suppose you've reached the escapology section of your magic books yet have you?" She asked him. Preston shook his head.
"As far as I know no magician's written anything about escaping spider webs." He commented. "Spider webs...that's...I wonder if I could come up with something..."
"Preston, are you SERIOUSLY trying to think of magic tricks at a time like this?" Hayley asked him. "Sarah, did you learn anything in Amber Beach?"
"What?" She asked, becoming a little concerned. It wasn't REALLY lying, but she had never told her friends about the time she served supporting the Dino Charge team. She had indeed seen and taken part in some pretty bizarre situations.
"You were in Amber Beach when the monsters attacked there right?" Hayley asked. "Did anything like this ever happen there?"
"Sorry, no spiders." She answered, thinking back. "I once had a monster that switched bodies...and there was a monster that turned people to stone but...no spiders. Sorry."
"Great." Hayley grumbled. "Brody, if you have any fancy ninja tricks you've been saving for a rainy day, now would be a great time."
"I've been trying some muscle exercises that are meant to be able to let a ninja slide out of bonds." Brody told her.
"And?" She asked him.
"Um...no one taught them to me." He told her honestly. "It'll take me a while to figure them out. A lot longer than I think we have."
Just then, the room shook.
"What was that?" Brody asked.
There was another shake, this time accompanied by a cry of pain. Hayley smiled.
"Calvin!" She remarked. "He has to have found Tangleweb, he's trying to get us out!"
"You can do it Cal!" Sarah called out. "Kick this spider's silk-spinning ass!"
Meanwhile, out in the real world, Calvin rolled clear as Tangleweb threw another clumsy attack his way. He could see that he was struggling, still a little sluggish after his meal, which he took as a good sign that he hadn't digested the Rangers yet. He hit Tangleweb with a hail of rocks from his Ninja Sword's Earth attack. He was hoping to get and keep Tangleweb's attention, but he was also keenly aware that he couldn't finish him off while the Rangers were inside him. While it was possible that he could end any spell he had on them, he didn't know if that was the case. He couldn't take the chance that destroying him would also destroy the only way of getting his friends back. He ducked only a few inches to his left as Tangleweb spewed out some webbing which sailed overhead harmlessly.
"Man, your aim is worse than mine on an ice-cream headache!" Calvin taunted him.
"You dare to mock me?" Tangleweb screeched. "I don't need to aim to get you with this! Vortex!"
This was what Calvin had been waiting for. He didn't know why the Nexus Prism wanted him to use the bike, all he knew was that the bike was the answer somehow, but that meant getting to it...which meant literally leaping into the belly of the beast! As Tangleweb transformed into his vortex mode, Calvin went with the wind as opposed to fighting it, aiming to control his flight instead. Activating the water mode in his Ninja Sword, he used jets to guide him past any incoming webs and flew into Tangleweb's waiting vortex.
It took him a moment to get his bearings, but as he came through the other side, Calvin rolled back to his feet.
"Calvin!" Hayley called out. Calvin wanted to run to his girlfriend's side, to free her, but he knew that right now he needed to focus. Almost immediately some webs shot out of the walls, but he was quick enough to cut them down. He went to her side once he was sure there were no more webs coming.
"Hayley, are you alright?" He asked her.
"We're fine." Hayley told him.
"For now maybe." Sarah grumbled as Calvin started to cut the White Ranger free. "But now we're all trapped!"
"Maybe, but not for long." Calvin told them as he went to the bike, beginning to cut it free, leaving Hayley to free Preston, Sarah and Brody.
"Calvin, what are you doing?" Preston asked him.
"The Nexus Prism gave me this." Calvin told them, showing him his new Power Star. "It showed me an image of the bike. I think it wants me to use it."
"Use the bike?" Sarah asked him. "You?"
Calvin however wasn't listening. He placed his Power Star on the handlebars, at which the bike was engulfed in flames and started to change shape. They all watched as it transformed into a brand new attack cycle, with a large, powerful engine, and what looked like laser cannon mounted on the handlebars.
"Calvin, what are you doing?" Brody asked him. Calvin just gulped, mounting the bike. He could already feel his heart beginning to tense up, and his palms beginning to sweat. He could already think of a thousand ways this could go wrong, how he could hurt himself or one of his friends, but gripping the handlebars tightly he took a deep breath.
"The Nexus Prism believes in me, so does Mick." Calvin started to tell himself. "The only one that doesn't is me."
"Calvin..."
"I can do this." He said, nodding his head as he started up the engine. "I can do this!"
In the school, still trapped in the lockers, Monty and Victor were trying to pass the time as best as they could.
"So, what's on the menu today?" Victor asked his friend.
"Pulled pork and beetroot." Monty told him. Victor just smiled. Monty's parents were extremely unusual in their approach to nutrition. It was almost a running competition to see if they could outdo themselves with the grossest possible combination of ingredients for Monty's lunch. The one and only good part about it was that no bully had ever stolen Monty's lunch. He'd been stuffed into lockers, forced to do homework, given a swirly or two, but absolutely NO ONE wanted to steal one of his lunches!
"Nice." Victor commented. "Is it your parent's own pickled beetroot? Or did they buy it in?"
"It's bought in." Monty grumbled. "Mom hasn't had much time to do much pickling lately."
"Hey wait, someone's coming!" Victor said, calling out. He started banging on the door to the lockers. "Hey! Hey, let us out!"
He couldn't see much through the grill, but eventually he saw a face, and a leather jacket. He saw a smile.
"Victor?" He asked.
"Ace." Victor sighed.
"Wow, now THIS is a turn up for the books!" He commented. "Monty? Well...it's been a while since I've seen this, it almost makes me nostalgic!"
"Come on Ace, just let us out!" Victor told him. Ace just folded his arms.
"Who put you in here anyway?" He asked.
"Does it matter?" Victor asked him. "Now let us out!"
"Sure, whatever." Ace said, beginning to work the lock.
"Wait, you need to get someone to cut the..."
Victor's words fell silent as Ace opened the door and let him out.
"Cut the what?" Ace asked him. "Dude, these lockers are easier to break into than the teacher's lounge."
"They were held shut by webs." Victor commented. "That monster..."
"Wait, monster? You're trying to tell me a monster locked you in here?" Ace laughed. The two guys and the girl with him also laughed, mocking Victor. He just got a serious look on his face.
"We were locked in by a monster!" Victor told him.
"Sure, whatever dude." Ace mocked him.
"Wait, what about Monty?" Victor asked.
"What about him?" Ace asked. "He's a nerd! That's where nerds belong!"
"Ace, let him out!" Victor demanded. Ace just shook his head and looked at him in disgust.
"Man, I should have left you in there too. This was an act of pity." Ace commented. "I can't believe we used to hang. I remember when you were cool. Come on guys!"
As they left, Victor just sighed and stood by the locker, waiting on the janitor to come by on his rounds with the master key.
Back outside, Tangleweb was sitting with a satisfied look on his face as he waited to be transported back to the ship. He had done what no one else could and had defeated the Rangers. Now, all five of them were safely captured, and the Power Stars...well...they weren't going anywhere for a while. He was starting to think of what he could negotiate as a deal once he got back. A title shot, that was a given, but he had been in nickel and dime matches for so long, he was determined to make sure he got his slice of the pie at the big boy's table. Now he would get his time at the fancy parties, the food that didn't come out of the trash, he could leave The Sump...well...maybe that was a little hasty, he kind of liked it there all things considered, and it was his fans there that brought him to the dance.
Suddenly, he felt burning, searing pain inside, it escalated through discomfort and pain, and into outright agony very quickly. He fell to his hands and knees, screaming, before he felt something coming up. He retched hard, at which Calvin and his bike raced out. Very shortly afterwards, he was followed by the other four Rangers.
"Ugh, that was super gross!" Preston complained. "I am going to shower for a week!"
"I thought being locked in the dumpster was bad." Sarah grumbled. She noticed Hayley looking at her curiously. "Um...long story."
"Calvin, you did it!" Hayley screamed, throwing her arms around him. If it wasn't for the helmets, she'd already be kissing him. She knew how terrified he was getting behind the wheel of any vehicle. She had seen him go into full-blown panic attacks so many times, almost to the point of needing hospital treatment.
"Hey, you can thank the Mega Morph Cycle." He told her, patting his latest creation. She just turned his face towards her.
"Calvin Maxwell, that bike may be super awesome, but it's just a bike. Without a rider, it's a fancy clothes hanger." She told him. "This was all you."
"Guys, this isn't over yet." Brody told them, putting a Power Star into his morpher and activating bow mode. Tangleweb was starting to come around and get back to his feet. "He just cleared a whole lot of room. If we don't take him down now, he's just going to suck us up again."
"Not on my watch." Calvin agreed, also activating bow mode on his morpher. "Power Bow, FINAL STRIKE!"
With that, the Rangers all took aim, opening fire and blasting Tangleweb before he could return to the fray. He started to spark as he pitched backwards.
"I just lost my appetite!" He screamed, before he hit the ground and exploded. Calvin looked around for a Buzz-cam and grabbed it, staring straight into it.
"Show's over, Ninjas win!" He called out, crushing it in his hand. Brody hit him on the shoulder.
"Hey, that's MY line!" He protested.
"Sorry Brody, but I'm in the driver's seat today." Calvin answered.
Up on the Warrior Dome, the audience had seen Tangleweb fall, and were voicing their opinions on his performance. While some of the audience in the higher-tier seats were all too happy to see him remain ash, Cosmo could see that a lot of his fans from The Sump were in attendance tonight, and were calling for him to get another chance. Normally he would base most of his opinions on the higher-paying customers, but the arena was packed with creatures of The Sump, and even at the lower ticket prices, that was a LOT of money pouring straight into his pocket! He looked to the console which registered the vote, and he wasn't surprised by the result.
"It looks like the audience has spoken; Tangleweb has not spun his last web!" Cosmo called out, skipping over to his console. "You all know what that means don't you?"
"GIGANTIFY!" A massive call went out from the audience as Cosmo slammed his hand down on the button, sending the beam down to Earth.