Night drew in, and darkness enveloped Amber Grove, leaving the Rangers with little choice but to return to the lab. Tracking down Tyler in the dark was going to be problematic at best, and Shelby had assured them that any accounts she had read and any evidence most studies found pointed to the likelihood that the Tyrannosaurus Rex wasn't a nocturnal creature by habit. It was a mixed blessing that so far there had been no sightings of him. It meant they were still in the position of having to try and find the Red Ranger, a man running around with the full power of an Energem, who believed himself to be one of the most dangerous carnivorous hunters that had ever existed. On the flipside, it meant that so far, he hadn't attacked anyone else. They were sure that if the Red Ranger had attacked any citizens, trying to "feed", it would likely be all over the news, or at very least Social Media by now.
They were all checking up any leads they could, checking everything from the local media, through fan websites, right down to the lowliest of urban legend sites for any reports whatsoever about the Red Ranger going feral, all in the hopes of finding some trace of where to start searching for him in the morning. Kendall was extremely quiet, having not said a word to any of them, or even seeming to acknowledge them when they returned. She was still going over what happened in her mind, over and over, trying to find out what she had done that had caused the situation they were in.
As much as she prided herself on her work, Kendall was not without her failures, something she was pointedly aware of. Like anyone else, she made mistakes in her work. One time, early in her career, she had made a simple math error in her calculations of a tidal shift which led to the team she was on wasting a whole month having set up a dig nearly fifty miles from the optimal dig site. As a result, they had been beaten to the punch by a rival team in a discovery, and wasted six figures in time and equipment digging in a location that ended up yielding nothing more than a Florida licence plate, three copies of ET the video game on the Atari and an old shopping cart.
That was an error she had never been allowed to forget, one of the first low-points in her career. To this day, one of the team members delighted in sending her a licence plate on her birthday every year to remind her. Of course in that instance, all her mistake had cost was money, and some of her reputation. Mistakes with her weapons could easily cost lives.
She'd always treated the engineering side of her science with a lot of caution, often too much caution in hindsight, in the name of safety. On her first day taking engineering lectures, her professor had given the class a shocking and sobering statistic in order to shake the inevitable cockiness and arrogance that came with the combination of his students being some of the most intelligent people in the country, and also young enough and arrogant enough to believe they were infallible.
"There are 30 people in this classroom. By the time we meet here in 10 years for your reunion, at least two of you will be DIRECTLY responsible for the death of another human being." He had told his class with absolutely no humour or irony in his tone. That warning had shocked the class so much that two people quit the course within a month. His words still lived with Kendall any time she worked on something that she knew had the risk of killing someone if it didn't function safely. She still got cold chills when she realised that Tyler had almost shot Shelby on his very first encounter with his Morpher, not her fault directly, but making her question the safety measures she had put in place to avoid accidental discharge.
Tyler's life had been in danger when the charger had malfunctioned. Knowing the power output that the charger delivered, she was certain that only his suit had stopped him being cooked alive, the radiation being more than enough to act like a giant microwave and turning him into a human brisket! That was before she imagined what could happen if Tyler ran across someone else on his travels. Every minute he was out there he put innocent people in danger, and it was all down to her.
It was almost day break by the time Allison, seeing Kendall still on her feet, while the others had at least taken some periodic naps and snack breaks, decided enough was enough and tried to get Kendall to take a much-needed rest.
"Ms Morgan, you should really rest." Allison told her. "You've been working all day..."
"And all night, and I'll work all day today and all day tomorrow too if that's what it takes." Kendall told Allison bluntly. "Anything that goes wrong with the weapons is on me. Whatever happens is my mess. If I make a mess, I have to clean it up."
"You couldn't have known that this was going to happen. Hell, even Keeper doesn't know everything about what happens with these Energems." Chase reminded her.
"Whatever happens with the weapons is on me!" Kendall reiterated, her combination of frustration and panic getting the better of her. "I need to find out what I did wrong so that I know what I need to fix when we find him."
"Ms Morgan...I think you should probably have a look at this." Riley told her, holding up a hand. Kendall went over to where he was working on the lap top. "Um...I was just trying to Skype my brother...and...I noticed there was a window open and...I found this."
Kendall pulled up the screen, showing her virus protection software alerting her to a virus. It was unlike anything she was familiar with.
"What is this?" Chase asked her. "Do you think it's Wrench?"
"No, I'd recognise his code. It's kind of like a fingerprint." She told him.
"Well, Heckyl doesn't seem like much of a hacker to me." Riley told them. "I needed to teach him how the credit card machines worked four times when he worked here."
"He's more into screwing with people than computers, that's for sure." Kendall agreed. "I don't recognise this...I'm not even sure it's human in origin. It was uploaded today at..."
"Shit, that time signature. It was uploaded while we were out in the woods!" Riley stated, before checking the main computer, the one attached to the transmuter that had created the Dino Charger. "Just as I thought, it transferred to the main computer when we hooked up the lap top to transfer the training data."
"That's how they did it!" Kendall announced, finally managing to decrypt enough of the virus to figure out what its programme was. "It was the virus! It lifted some of the key filters...it caused the T-Rex spirit to take over Tyler's mind!"
"That still doesn't help us find Tyler," Chase said as he thought about it, "but at least now we know what caused this, maybe we can figure out how to reverse it."
"I'm not sure we can, I'd need to see Tyler to know for sure." Kendall told them, before going to the console and picking up some Dino Chargers. "But...I have got some Dino Chargers that I think might help you bring him in without hurting him."
"What these do?" Koda asked her. Kendall just looked to them.
"When you were...unlucky...in your fight with Singe..."
"You don't have to sugar-coat it." Chase told her. "We got our asses handed to us. We know we did."
"I got thinking of ways we could allow you to safely neutralise a threat at least temporarily to allow us to regroup if anyone showed up that was too strong." She told them. "This sends out a particular kind of radiation that activates the sleep centres of the brain, releasing neuro-receptors that should force the victim to sleep. At least...in theory. I've not had a chance to test it, and I don't even know if it'll work on anything other than human biological makeup."
"So...how long would this put him to sleep for?" Chase asked her. Kendall sighed, before picking up some heavy, metal manacles.
"Put it this way. I'd suggest you take these with you." She told the team. Riley furrowed his brows.
"Where did you get...?"
"I...don't think that's the important point right now." Shelby interrupted him, before looking to Kendall. "Ms Morgan, you say Tyler's mind has been altered...is it possible there's even a little bit of the old Tyler in there?"
"I don't know. It's possible." She answered. Shelby just smiled.
"I think I know exactly where he'll go." Shelby declared. The others just looked to her confused.
"Where?" Chase asked her.
"It's...um...it's personal. It's something Tyler shared with me, I don't know if I should tell you unless it doesn't pan out." Shelby told them. "I don't know if Tyler would appreciate me telling you guys."
"Shelby, you can't just expect us to let you go running off on your own." Chase told her. Kendall held a hand up to silence him, before taking Shelby aside.
"How personal is it?" Kendall asked her. Shelby just leant in and whispered something in her ear. Kendall nodded in understanding. "Alright."
"What?" Riley asked. "Ms Morgan!"
"I think Shelby might be onto something. I've learned better than to doubt her on stuff like this." Kendall told them, handing Shelby the new Dino Charger. "Take this with you. If it doesn't pan out, meet up with the others and resume a systematic search."
"Thank you." Shelby responded, before running out of the Command Centre. Kendall worked up a map of the forest, and divided it into areas in a grid pattern.
"Alright, the rest of you start searching here, and make your way out from there." Kendall told them. "I'll start working on a clean version of the T-Rex Supercharger."
"Wait...your untested Supercharger?" Chase asked her. "What about all that doubt from before?"
"Why would Singe screw with my work if I wasn't onto something?" Kendall replied with a smile. With that, the Rangers all ran out, heading for the forest to start searching.
Meanwhile, Hunter had been up since the early morning, and was busy tracking the Red Ranger down. He was an expert hunter, one who had caught the attention of Sledge's clients because of his renown, and his habit of taking his hunts too far. While most hunters were content simply to hunt animals for food, some even for sport or trophies, for Hunter it had become a way of life. He had hunted whole species into extinction for no other reason than to collect rare trophies, and then to ensure they STAYED rare. It was when he started hunting the more sentient species, those that were considered 'civilised', that his crimes became too great to ignore and they were willing to pay Sledge's high price tag to get rid of him.
He went to the edge of a creek, finding fresh, human footprints, and also long, oblong depressions next to the water's edge. It was a sign someone had been by here and knelt down to drink at the creek. Knowing the habits of 'civilised' creatures, he sincerely doubted many humans made a habit of drinking out of creeks, or any water source that wasn't sterilised and purified. He cradled his blaster closely as he found the tracks leading away.
"I'm hot on your trail Red Ranger!" He announced. He was about to follow the tracks, when he was knocked off his feet by a huge slab of human muscle moving incredibly quickly. He rolled back to his feet, just in time to see Koda standing before him. Being the best tracker, Koda was taking the lead in the search.
"You not hurt my friend!" Koda declared as Chase, Riley and Ivan all arrived to assist him.
"It's not Tyler, but that doesn't mean we aren't on the right track." Chase commented. "It looks like Singe had the same idea."
"He also wasn't the only one that thought about coming out mob handed." Hunter laughed. The Rangers were barely fast enough to leap back as a blur came at them from the trees, slicing up the earth right where they had been standing. Seeing Ninja blur into view next to Hunter, the Rangers went for their morphers.
"You're the one Tyler talked about, the fast one." Riley commented. "It would be pretty simple for a guy like you to slip in and out of our camp unseen and upload that virus to our laptop."
"Guilty as charged!" Ninja said with a note of pride in his voice. Chase looked down, noticing his toes were now exposed, and realised that the front had been sliced off his sneakers. Looking to Ninja, he took up his Dino Charger.
"These cost me two hundred bucks!" He told him. "Now I'm pissed!"
With that, the Rangers all morphed and went to battle the newest threats.
Elsewhere in the woods, Shelby made her way, remembering the barely-visible trail as though it were only yesterday Tyler had brought her here. They had only been together a few months, but in that time, they had grown incredibly close, so much so that when Tyler had told them he was continuing his journey to look for his dad, she had packed a bag as soon as she got home.
It had been months since he had brought her here, but during the summer, on the day of his birthday, instead of going to a hotel, or going to a restaurant or a funfair or any of the many ideas Shelby had suggested, he had brought her out here, a few miles outside Amber Beach.
It was, unsurprisingly, a little way from the beaten track. Tyler had explained to her that every year on his birthday, his dad used to bring him out here to this spot. They would go camping there, in what Tyler had described as easily his favourite spot in the whole world. It was where his dad had made his first major discovery; it was where he brought his girlfriend when he asked her to marry him. It was where his wife had told him that he was going to be a father, and, it was where he had brought his son every single year for his birthday, for the first seven years of his life.
He had shown her that his father had buried a time-capsule of sorts, a simple metal locking box, that he added mementos to every time he visited. Pictures, letters, postcards...it was a tradition Tyler had kept up ever since with his own additions. Toys, postcards, and even what he showed her that day, a baseball his father had given him a month before his eighth birthday.
"He was going on an expedition. He said it was important, but that he would be coming right back in time for my birthday party." Tyler had told her with a heavy heart, looking at the baseball. "That was the last time I ever saw him."
Shelby and Tyler had made their own addition to the box on that day, Tyler putting a Dino Bite Cafe hat into the box, before burying it once more. The spot was etched into Shelby's mind, not only for what it meant to Tyler, but for what it meant to her to know that he felt so strongly for her he was willing to share it with her.
Coming into the clearing, she looked around, finding that the ground had been disturbed recently. Not only were there fresh footprints, but the metal box had been unearthed. The pile of stones that covered it had been scattered, and the box itself had been smashed open. She could see the treasures scattered over the ground, though otherwise undamaged. She had been right, Tyler was trying to find somewhere and something familiar, and had found it here. Even if he wasn't himself, there was still something of the man she loved in the beast's mind. She picked up a picture of a young Tyler with his dad, on what had to be the last time they were ever here together.
She paused dead still as she heard a growl behind her. She slowly got up, and started to turn, not making any sudden movements. Tyler was just coming out of the undergrowth, returning to the camp. He had somehow figured out, even with his 'limited' arm length to remove his helmet. Looking into his eyes, she could see him staring straight back, even as she stood perfectly still. Although most believed that the T-Rex's vision was based on movement, it seemed that with his human make up, Tyler could see her just fine, even if she was frozen to the spot.
"Tyler...Tyler, it's me, remember? It's Shelby." She told him, hoping he would recognise her. He didn't immediately rush to attack her, an encouraging sign, but one that she wasn't going to take as proof that this couldn't still end badly until she saw the real Tyler once more. "You know me...you love me."
Tyler didn't answer, and instead started circling her. Shelby only moved to keep him in front of her, where she could see him as he paced, like he was looking for a better position to launch his attack from.
"Tyler, you brought me here, we were here on your last birthday, do you remember?" She asked him. "We spent all night by the campfire right there. You told me all about your tradition of coming here. We...we made love, right here."
Tyler paused for a second. Shelby felt her heart racing as she started to move closer, putting the hypno charger into her morpher just in case.
"We sat right here and watched the sun come up." She reminded him. "Tyler...you know this isn't who you are. Please...come back to me."
Tyler suddenly broke into a sprint straight for Shelby, knocking her over and knocking her morpher out of her hand as her shot sailed harmlessly into the distance. She struggled to keep his face away as he snapped his teeth together. Before he could cause too much harm though, Tyler ended up flying off him. She looked up to see the Aqua Ranger standing in her defence.
"It's true, you are here. The Aqua Ranger!" Shelby gasped. The Aqua Ranger gestured to her to stay back, while keeping his eyes on the enraged Red Ranger.
"Thanks for finding him Shelby. It seems we both knew exactly where to look." He told her. Shelby just furrowed her brows. How did the Aqua Ranger know her name? Was it possible that Tyler was right that Rusty knew a lot more about Energems than he let on? "Stay back, I've got this."
He approached Tyler with his arms outstretched, like he was trying to demonstrate he wasn't there to fight. Shelby could only hope that he wasn't being overly optimistic.
"I'm not going to harm you." The Aqua Ranger said reassuringly. Shelby was more worried about Tyler harming him than the other way around! As the Red Ranger attacked, the Aqua Ranger fought back, but seemed to be more trying to evade or restrain him than cause any harm. He knocked Tyler off-balance, breaking his strength as he held him.
"Think Tyler, you know you're not an animal!" The Aqua Ranger beckoned him. Shelby went for the morpher once more as Tyler lashed out, forcing the Aqua Ranger to drop him and got back to his feet. She threw the morpher to the Aqua Ranger.
"It'll put him to sleep!" Shelby told him. "Use it!"
"I'm not your enemy!" The Aqua Ranger assured Tyler as he put the morpher to his side, and then let it slide from his hand, dropping to the ground. Shelby could hardly believe her eyes.
"What are you doing?" She screamed at him.
"It's me." The Aqua Ranger said, making one last risky gamble. He de-morphed, revealing himself to Shelby and Tyler. "I'm your dad!"
"You're...you're alive?" Shelby asked, unable to believe what she was seeing. "You look exactly like your picture...the Energem!"
James though wasn't paying attention to Shelby, he knew there were a lot of questions that would have to be answered, but questions could wait for now. He picked up the baseball, showing it to Tyler.
"This was your present when you turned eight." He told Tyler. "If it wasn't for the cave-in, I would have been. I should have been there Tyler; I should have been at all of them. I'm sorry."
Tyler let out a huge scream and fell to the ground, de-morphing as he did. By the time he looked up, Shelby could see no hint of the monster he had been; only the man she loved. He approached James cautiously.
"Dad?" He asked. "You're alive?"
With that, Tyler hugged him, squeezing him tight, like he never wanted to let him go again. His mind was full of questions, but his heart soared with joy. He couldn't believe that at long last, his search was over. Shelby just stood and watched from a safe distance as they embraced. Her Dino Comm sounded, alerting her to an incoming signal.
"Shelby, where are you?" Chase asked her.
"I've found Tyler." She told them. "He's back."
"Great, we could use all the help we can get back here." Chase commented. Shelby looked up to where Tyler and his dad were still enjoying being back together and smiled.
"Don't worry; I have a little surprise for you all." She stated. "One that I just know is going to blow your minds!"