I'm finally back and hopefully over my writer's block! I'm working on finishing this story for NaNoWriMo, so will hopefully be able to keep going!
Hope this chapter was worth the wait ;)
Chapter 30: Finders Keepers
Running through the forest, Ryne couldn't help but huff as she stopped to take a break as she ran through the woods. Catching her breath, Ryne looked around, searching for anything out of the ordinary in the forest with sharp eyes. Even with the skills she'd learned in the Ninja Academy, however, she couldn't spot much that stood out. Only animal tracks.
It had been a few days since Ryjack's defeat, and Chaku had returned home, leaving Grid Battleforce to track down Ryjack's ship and his stolen relics. So the Rangers had once again taken to the outskirts of town, trying to find his cloaked ship.
"Rangers, give me a search update," Commander Shaw's voice came through their wrist coms, interrupting Ryne's thoughts.
"Devon here, no sign of Ryjack's ship," the Red Ranger answered first, having been racing through the quarry on his bike.
"Ravi here," the Blue Ranger was next to respond. "Still nothing," he was out of breath, having been running through the forest to the north.
"No traces around here either," Ryne answered as she kept moving.
"What do we do if we don't find his ship?" Ravi wondered, worried. It had been days, and they hadn't found anything.
"We have to find it, period. The relics in Ryjack's ship are too dangerous in the wrong hands," Nate told him firmly. They couldn't give up.
"In anyone's hands, really," Ryne spoke up as she weaved around the trees.
"I'm heading north-west, but so far there's no sign of -" Zoey stopped abruptly, and gasped. "I found it! Sector Zulu 8-5," she declared, and their eyes widened.
"Zoey, stay put," Commander Shaw instructed. "Everyone else, head to her location," she ordered the remaining Rangers. Ryne turned, her dark eyes quickly scanning around her before she worked out the right direction, and she began to run. "Rangers, there's an intruder heading for Ryjack's ship. Zoey, wait for backup," the Commander suddenly warned, and Ryne cursed, speeding up.
"But if there's something headed this way, I don't have time to wait," the Yellow Ranger answered, and Ryne groaned.
"Zoey, now is not the time to go off alone again," she told her, ducking under a branch as she kept running.
"Ryne's right. Sit tight till we get there," Devon agreed.
"Don't worry, I've got this," Zoey's confident reply had Ryne curse. She sped up, praying she got there before Zoey could get herself hurt. As she ran, there was suddenly a massive explosion that caused the ground to rumble, causing Ryne to trip and fall with a cry. She landed in the leaves, wincing as the stones cut her knee, and sighed.
"Got this, huh?" Ryne muttered under her breath, getting back to her feet. She didn't wait to brush off the dirt, and kept running.
Zoey gave a low moan, swimming in and out of consciousness as her body ached from getting caught in the explosion when Ryjack's ship had self-destructed. As she blacked out again, there was a crack of thunder, and Robo Blaze, Roxy and Asher appeared in a flash of colours.
"Well, this was his ship," Blaze shook his head at the mess.
"Wow, what a mess," Asher kicked aside a chunk of metal with a loud clank. "Better take a look around, see if anything worthwhile survived," she muttered, taking a look around.
"Hey, check it out!" Roxy gasped, running over and lifting a large sword into the air. "This was Snide's sword. He fought the Dino Charge Rangers," she realised as she studied it. Blaze smirked.
"It really is handy having the Ranger files in here," he tapped a finger to his temple.
"Snide, eh?" Asher's smirk was wide as she lifted a dagger from the ground. "Now he would be fun to bring back, don't you think?" she asked, almost innocent.
"Yeah," Roxy agreed. "Let's reanimise him," they giggled as Blaze took the sword and stabbed it into the ground. He stepped back, and Roxy lifted the reanimiser that Scrozzle had given her, stolen from Ryjack in his final battle. She activated it, and the beam hit the sword, causing it to transform into a large, bulky creature with one glowing golden eye.
"Where am I?" Snide growled, disorientated. "And who are you?" he demanded as he spotted Blaze, Asher and Roxy.
"Your new best friends," Asher told him, twirling the dagger in her hands. Noticing movement nearby, Blaze glanced over Snide's shoulder, and his eyes widened as he spotted Zoey slowly getting to her feet.
"That's Zoey. The others must be close," Blaze warned quietly, pointing her out. Snide glanced over to the blonde.
"Stay out of sight," Roxy hissed, and Asher grabbed Snide's arm, pulling him away and into the trees.
Nearby, Ryne's lungs were burning, but she kept running towards where the explosion had come from. She met up with Ravi, and they heard the low rumbling of Devon's bike and the truck that Nate and Steel were using to get around.
"Wow, the collar really works," Zoey couldn't help but laugh as they reached her.
"Zoey!" Devon called, and she glanced around. Her face and clothes were streaked with dirt, and she was bruised from being thrown in the blast. "What happened?" Devon called as they saw the wreckage around them.
"The ship self-destructed. I must have triggered an alarm," Zoey explained.
"So much for waiting," Ryne shook her head as she reached out and healed her injuries. Devon nodded.
"She's right. You should have waited," he agreed. Zoey huffed, but before she could try to defend herself, Nate ran over, looking worried.
"Are you okay?" he asked as Ryne stepped back, the glowing fading.
"I think so," she nodded, smiling weakly at him.
"Who's that?" Steel asked, and the Rangers became aware of the other figure standing nearby. Wearing red robes and carrying a staff, he stood motionless.
"That's the intruder the Commander warned us about," Zoey explained. "But I stopped him with a Compliance Collar," Ryne's eyes widened at her words.
"You what?" she demanded, horrified. She then looked over at the figure again. "Wait, I know him!" Ryne realised.
"You do?" Steel asked, confused as Ryne ran over to him.
"Keeper?" she gasped as she saw his face. "Oh my gosh, you really are Keeper," Ryne breathed, staring up at the alien she'd seen photos of when she was growing up.
"That is correct. I came to retrieve the relics that Ryjack stole," Keeper explained. His voice was vague, but something crossed his face. "I…I know you," he said, strained a little as he seemed to struggle with the Compliance Collar he wore. Seeing it, Ryne grew angry, and she whirled around.
"You collared Keeper!" her shout took Zoey by surprise, as did her anger. "He's good! He helped my parents, and you collared him!" Ryne's voice shook as Zoey took a step back, eyes wide.
"Ryne," Steel was the one to speak first, stepping forwards and putting his hands on her shoulders. It was only then that she realised her powers were rising to the surface, and she took a deep breath before blinking back her tears.
"I'm sorry, I didn't see his face!" Zoey grew defensive, seeing the looks from the others. "I thought he was trying to steal Ryjack's weapons!" she tried to defend her reasoning for doing so.
"That fire…I see. Then you must be Teddie's daughter," Keeper realised. Ryne looked at him, trying to reply, but her gaze went to the Collar again.
"These Collars are barbaric. They're worse than Zotac Rings. There's a reason they're outlawed across several galaxies," Ryne growled, before taking another breath as Steel squeezed her shoulders. He was oddly gentle, despite his robotic build. She then pulled away and turned back to Keeper, studying the collar. "I can't risk trying to dismantle the Collar here, I've no idea where to even begin," Ryne admitted quietly.
"Let's get him back to the lab then. We can work on removing the Collar there," Nate spoke up before any more shouting could happen.
"I'll put him in the truck," Devon sighed. "You guys pick up any valuable weapons here," he said, guiding Keeper away from them.
"Okay," Ravi nodded. Zoey met Ryne's gaze, but before she could say anything, Ryne turned and walked away. She began to search for anything she could find, silent as she did so.
"You okay?" Steel asked gently as he stooped beside her to lift a sword.
"I will be when we get Keeper out of that Collar," she replied, shifting metal out of the way. "My family owes Keeper a lot. I just…" Ryne gave a frustrated huff and tossed the metal aside. He patted her shoulder, sympathetic.
"This belonged to Lord Zedd, the Emperor of Evil," Ravi gasped as he lifted a metal staff from the ground with a large Z on the end.
"All this stuff must have come from some pretty nasty folk. We better get it all," Steel considered as they gathered what they could.
"What?!" Devon's cry was barely audible over the roar of the truck engine. The others looked up to see the truck drive off. "They got Keeper!" there was a clatter as everyone dropped what they were holding.
"No!" Ryne cried out in horror.
"Nate, Steel. Get Ryjack's collection back to base," Devon shouted to the Gold and Silver Rangers. The two nodded, grabbing what they could. "We'll go after him," he told the other three as they ran to him. "Ready? Let's Morph," he said, not about to let them capture Keeper so easily.
"ACTIVATE BEAST POWER!" the four Morphed, and Devon ran to Cruise. He sped off, and Zoey and Ravi gave chase. Ryne cracked her neck.
"God, I don't like this, but to hell with it," she muttered, and took off at a sprint. There was a crack, and she streaked along the road, passing out Zoey and Ravi and catching up with the truck. She leapt up, breaking her Ninja Streak, and grabbed hold of the side of the truck. "Whoa!" she gasped as the truck swerved, and she barely managed to hold on.
As she reached out, trying to blast the wheels to stop the truck, one of the Vivix who had hijacked the truck climbed out and launched at her. Ryne cried out as she was tackled off the side of the truck, and Devon followed as another knocked him from his bike.
As their suits absorbed the impact, Devon and Ryne rolled along and forced themselves up, fighting off the Vivix. Zoey and Ravi soon caught up, joining the fight as the truck stopped nearby.
"Deal with the Vivix, fast. We need to get to that truck!" Devon shouted, kicking one away. "Ryne!" he shouted, and she nodded.
"On it!" she held out her hands, and the energy blasted out, having been ready to go. As she took out the Vivix around her, a shiver ran down Ryne's spine. She stopped, looking around as a vortex opened nearby. "Guys, look! A wormhole!" she recognised the swirling vortex, identical to the one they'd used to travel through to rescue Ravi.
"What?!" the others gasped and turned, just in time to see five figures leap through. They landed, and Ryne's eyes widened as she recognised their suits. Dinosaur-themed, the Red, Blue, Black, Gold and Silver Rangers straightened up as they looked around.
"Oh, hell," Ryne groaned, and tossed aside another of the Vivix.
"The Dino Charge Rangers?! No way!" Ravi gasped as he recognised them as well. The five ran over to Devon as he took out another of the Vivix, and turned to them.
"Uh, hey. Other Rangers, cool," the Silver Ranger said, a little thrown.
"Have you seen an alien, wearing a red cloak?" the Red Ranger asked. Devon turned to them fully, just as thrown to see the Rangers from the past. "We know he came here looking for something," he explained.
"He's in the truck!" Ryne shouted over, forcing another of the Vivix away.
"Thanks! Let's get him to safety!" the Dino Charge Rangers ran towards the truck, only to be completely surrounded by even more monsters.
"Ryne, help them out! We've got these guys handled," Devon shouted to the Pink Ranger. Without stopping to hesitate, Ryne ran over to help out the Dino Charge Rangers, knocking one of the Putties away from Koda.
"Thank you," he nodded. Wordlessly, she nodded back, and continued to help fight them off.
"Heads up, they've got Keeper!" Ravi's warning made them turn to the truck just in time to see Keeper climb out of the truck. He stood with the robotic versions of Blaze, Roxy and Asher, along with another figure that Ryne didn't recognise.
"No, stop!" before they could do anything, the five vanished in a flash of purple.
"We're too late, he's gone!" Zoey groaned in horror.
"How we get him back?" Koda wondered.
"And just who was that with them?" Ryne asked aloud.
Despite the confusion and hesitation of the Dino Charge Rangers suddenly arriving, they were eventually persuaded to return to Grid Battleforce, where Nate and Steel had brought the relics found at Ryjack's ship.
"Geez, some of these are incredible," Asher commented as she studied the pronged sword from the collection in front of her. "I can see why some villains gave the Rangers a run for their money," she considered aloud.
"Yeah. I'm glad we were able to get them before anyone else could," Nate said, relieved that they'd managed to collect the relics from the wreckage.
"Hey guys," Devon sounded weary as the doors to the lab opened and they looked around. There was a loud clank as Asher dropped the sword.
"Uh…" she stared at the group who followed them into the lab. "I…I'm seeing right, aren't I?" she pulled her glasses off to rub at her eyes. Asher then slipped her glasses back on, and groaned.
"Yeah…you're seeing right," Ryne muttered, quickly moving past the group to go to the others.
"Wait, aren't you…?" Tyler started as he recognised Asher. "The one out there?" he asked slowly, unsure as she looked confused.
"Robotic clone," Devon said simply. Asher looked away, a guilty look on her face. The Dino Charge Rangers looked a little confused, but didn't push it.
"Sorry to drop in like this," Tyler apologised, a frustrated look on his face from losing Keeper. "I'm-"
"Tyler Hartford, we know," Devon answered for him, reaching out to shake his head. Tyler was surprised by the answer. "It's kind of mandatory for us to learn our Ranger history here," he explained, and Tyler managed a faint laugh.
"Well you know us, then, what about you?" Chase asked, looking from Ryne to Asher with a puzzled look on his face. The two exchanged looks.
"I'm Devon," the Red Ranger introduced himself. "That's Ravi, Zoey and Ryne. This is Nate and Steel, our Gold and Silver Rangers," he added, gesturing to the two other Rangers.
"Nice," Jeremy grinned. Ivan smiled too, happy to meet someone who shared his Ranger colour.
"This is Asher. She works in the lab as Nate's assistant," Devon added. Asher gave a shy smile that made all of them look curious.
"This is the future, right?" Jeremy asked as he walked over to the assistant. She swallowed, but stood her ground as she looked up at the Silver Ranger.
"For you, yeah," Ravi said. At Jeremy's curious stare, Asher gave a heavy sigh.
"I imagine your memories will be wiped, so I don't see the harm," she gave a shrug. "I'm Asher Bly, in case you were wondering," Jeremy's eyes widened, and so did the others.
"Bly?" Chase repeated, stunned to hear his own surname being used.
"I would have sworn that you were related to Lady Mo-oh," Ivan breathed in understanding. Asher shrugged, smiling.
"I knew there was something going on there," Tyler said, victorious.
"Oh please, we all know there's something going on between Spencer and Ms. Morgan," Jeremy rolled his eyes, walking away from Asher.
"Except, maybe Kendall and Spencer," Koda supplied with a grin. Jeremy had to agree with him.
"What about you?" Chase asked, and Ryne's eyes widened as she realised he was talking to her.
"Um…" she hesitated, moving to hide behind Steel. He glanced at her, but before anyone could press it, the doors slid open.
"Status report," Commander Shaw instructed, and stopped when she saw the Dino Charge Rangers standing there. "What is going on?" her voice was deceptively calm.
"What is going on?" Lewis asked as he followed her in. He froze, eyes going wide as he stared at Jeremy. "I spoke too soon," he decided as the younger version of his father stared back.
"I must say, these weapons are formidable," Commander Shaw spoke, lifting a bulky blaster from the crate of weapons and relics collected.
"We collected everything we could find," Nate answered as she passed it to him.
"For the best. I'd rather not see what Evox does with some of this stuff," Asher shuddered at the thought. Ravi patted her shoulder sympathetically.
"So why was Keeper after them?" he asked the Dino Charge Rangers.
"And why would he travel to the future to do so?" Lewis asked as both he and Jeremy recovered from the shock of seeing one another.
"From what we heard, he was told to come here. We don't know who by, but I guess it was important," Chase said, still not entirely sure. "When he didn't come back, we borrowed the transportal device from SPD to find him," he said.
"Him disappearing is definitely a big enough emergency to have to use that thing," Ryne muttered. "And considering he's forced to do whatever he's told, even more so," she added quietly. Zoey's face burned and she looked away.
"What are you talking about?" Tyler asked, not understanding her words. Ryne was quiet for a long moment, before looking up at him.
"He's got a Compliance Collar on him," she told him. Seeing the confused look, she elaborated. "Slavers and smugglers use them. They put the wearer in a hypnotic state, and they'll do whatever they're told," Ryne's words made Ivan grimace as Jeremy spat out a curse.
"Great. And on top of that, somehow Snide is with that lot that took him," Jeremy's words made Ryne inhale sharply.
"Wait, that creep was Snide?!" she demanded, turning to the Silver Ranger. He frowned at her. "No, no no," Ryne hissed, dread making her go cold.
"You know Snide?" Ivan tilted his head.
"You never told us who you are," Chase realised, frowning as he turned to the girl. Ryne looked up, and on top of her horror about Snide, panic rose up in her. As she struggled to think of how to respond, sparks flew from her hands.
"Not again," she hissed, shaking her hands quickly.
"That power!" Jeremy inhaled sharply. It dragged out a painful memory, restrained in Singe's ship, as the monster goaded an attack that had almost destroyed his ship. The memory was fuzzy, but he remembered it all the same.
"Ryne!" Asher rushed over and put her hands on her shoulders. "It's okay. Breathe," she soothed as the sparks began to fade. Ryne took a deep breath, letting the power fade.
"Sorry," she apologised, embarrassed as Asher stepped back. She gave her a thankful smile. "Thought I'd got a grasp on that," Ryne complained. The rest of her team shot her sympathetic smiles, while the Dino Charge Rangers looked curious.
"Those powers, are they…?" Jeremy started, sounding gentler this time as he saw how distressed she'd been a moment ago. He trailed off, shooting an unsure look at Chase, who had the same idea in his head. Ryne then jumped when Koda stood beside her, sniffing at her. His eyes then lit up, and a big smile crossed his face.
"Chase!" he turned to the Black Dino Charge Ranger, and Ryne gasped as the caveman pulled her into his arms. "She family!" Koda explained, moving Ryne's hair so it looked more like pigtails. Chase stared at her for a long moment as Ryne looked up at him with large, dark eyes that he knew well.
"Oh, oh," Jeremy started to giggle as he realised. Ryne shot him an irritated look, which only intensified his giggles.
"I have so many questions," Chase groaned, putting a hand to his face. He then shook his head. "But they can wait," he said, and Jeremy sobered.
"Yeah," Tyler nodded, grim. "Keeper is powerful. How did they manage to get him with that Collar?" Tyler wondered, and Ryne couldn't stop herself from looking at Zoey. Seeing this, they turned to the Yellow Ranger.
"You put a Compliance Collar on him?!" Chase realised, seeing the guilty look on her face. "Why did you do that?" he demanded, furious that she would leave Keeper so defenceless.
"I-"
"And I told you to stay back from the ship," Commander Shaw added in, still furious that Zoey had completely disobeyed orders from both her and Devon. "But you didn't - causing the explosion," Zoey took in a shuddering breath, unable to stop herself from looking at Nate. He stepped forwards to try and speak up, only to stop as he saw Lewis shake his head. Nate bit his lip, but kept quiet, understanding what he was trying to convey. He couldn't defend Zoey when she was in trouble with Commander Shaw. To do so would cause her to question if she had been right to abolish the rule that prevented them from dating.
Zoey then took a deeper breath, forcing the tears back, as she looked up at Commander Shaw.
"You're right. I should have waited for my team," she admitted. She was quiet, but refused to look away from the Commander. "I just wanted to help. I thought I could handle it myself," Zoey admitted, and sighed again. "I wanted to prove that I could handle it myself," she confessed.
When Commander Shaw didn't speak, Zoey turned back to the Dino Charge team. "Putting the Compliance Collar on Keeper was awful of me, I know that. I panicked, and it was the first thing I thought to do. But I swear to you, I'll get him back," she swore. They were quiet for a moment, looking to one another as something unspoken passed between them.
"We will bring him back," Devon stressed the first word.
"Together," Ryne agreed as she stood with the rest of her team.
"Because our teamwork is unbeatable!" Steel exclaimed.
"Spoken like true Rangers," Ivan said, looking impressed by the team.
"We work together," Koda said, putting his hands on Devon and Ryne's shoulders. "Crush monsters!" he cheered, and the rest of the group grinned, brightened at the Blue Ranger's cheery disposition.
Ryne couldn't help but hum as she worked, studying the fragments of the Compliance Collar that they had retrieved from their fight against Vargoyle and Ryjack. She hated everything that she saw about it, but forced herself to keep studying it so that they would be able to remove it from Keeper once they saved him.
That thought was what kept her going. Because they would save him. Ryne wasn't going to let anyone - a reborn Snide included - hold Keeper prisoner.
"Hey," Ryne jumped, dropping the piece of the Collar with a loud clatter. "Oh, sorry," Chase apologised as she turned and looked up at him. After her heart calmed, the Pink Ranger couldn't help but laugh.
"Don't worry about it. I'm used to never hearing anyone in our family coming," she told him, and Chase managed a faint smile. He couldn't deny that it was bizarre to think that Ryne was his niece. That both Asher and Ryne were. But the family resemblance was strong.
"Look, about earlier…" Chase cleared his throat, and Ryne turned to him properly, tilting her head in a motion so similar to Teddie that it startled him. "I'm sorry, if we freaked you out," he apologised, and saw the surprise flash across her face.
"Oh, you don't have to apologise for that," Ryne shook her head quickly.
"I do. Even if it's the future, we're family. Even if…" Chase trailed off, uncomfortable.
"Even if you're enemies with my dad at the moment?" Ryne guessed, and Chase sighed. He pulled his hat off for a moment to scratch at his head.
"Either I'm getting easier to read, or you're just as perceptive as Ted," he told her. Ryne smiled at him. "I have so many questions, I don't even know where to begin," Chase complained. Ryne hummed, turning back to the Collar on the table.
"Since Jeremy is on your team, you're pretty far along. All twelve Energems together at last, and Arcanon has the Dark Energem?" Ryne guessed, not looking up.
"Y…yeah," Chase was taken aback by her knowledge.
"The Split Emitters, Wrench stole them and used them on my dad," Ryne said lightly. "A story that kind of helped us out with Devon's dad a while ago. But that's a different story," she waved off her own tangent as Chase stared at her. "For you, he doesn't know it yet, but he's not truly evil. He'll learn that soon enough," her words were almost cryptic, and Chase huffed.
"Now I have even more questions than before," he complained.
"Should be used to it, with our family," she replied, earning a quiet laugh as he couldn't argue that point. He then sighed, almost sounding defeated.
"I guess Teddie really cares for him, eh?" he asked, tired. Ryne paused, a little surprised by the question. Placing the Collar back down on the table, she turned back to him, and her skin suddenly lit up in a golden glow that made Chase squint and shield his eyes.
"Mum was first able to use this power saving dad's life," the glow faded just as quickly, and Chase lowered his hand. "And he saved her way more," Ryne chuckled. "You get used to it, I promise," the Pink Ranger told him. She was so earnest in her words, that Chase reached out and patted her head.
"Thanks," he said, quiet. Then he lowered his hand, and looked at the Collar on the table. "Anything I can help with? Jeremy's off bugging…Lewis?" Chase tried, and Ryne nodded.
"About time someone bugged him. He's usually the one doing the annoying," she said, and Chase snorted.
"Sounds familiar. Anyway, he's off bugging Lewis with Ivan about his training programs, Koda's eating, and Tyler is talking Ranger history with Devon," he found it a little funny that they were all working to take their minds off their worries as they waited for the systems to find any trace of Keeper. "Anything I can do?" Chase asked, and Ryne hummed.
"I'm mainly trying to find out if there's an easier way to deactivate this thing," she held up the piece in her hand, and he took it from her.
"How'd you break this one?" Chase asked as he looked over it.
"Devon's sword," Ryne answered. "But I wouldn't recommend trying the same again. Honestly, Vargoyle was lucky that Devon hit it where he did," she said, and Chase continued to look over it. "I can't find anything that'll let us deactivate it. A working one would be better, but this is all we have. Both a blessing and a curse," Ryne muttered.
"What about magic?" she looked up at Chase's question. His eyebrow rose at her expression. "Don't tell me you don't use magic," he seemed outraged by the question, and it made her giggle.
"I do. Occasionally. It's not really my kind of thing," she shrugged. Chase peered at her suspiciously.
"What's your element?" he asked. She tilted her head.
"Why, what element do you think I am?" Ryne challenged. Chase drew back, surprised by the challenge, before he grinned.
"Okay, let me see," he folded his arms and studied her. Ryne folded her arms, mirroring his stance as she waited. Immediately he barked out a laugh. "Oh you're Water, for sure," Chase accused. Ryne rolled her eyes.
"Lucky guess," she grumbled, and Chase gave a cheer, hands lifting into the air. After a moment, he calmed, but was still laughing quietly. Finding it infectious, Ryne smiled and shook her head. "I would have been the odd one out, if you hadn't married someone with Water magic," she pointed out, and saw him go rigid. A blush that seemed uncharacteristic of him crossed his face.
"So I marry her, huh?" his voice was softer than before, and he gave an almost bashful laugh that surprised Ryne. "Can't say I'm surprised," Chase shrugged, lifting one of the pieces of the Collar again to look at it, avoiding Ryne's gaze.
"Mum always says that being a Ranger puts things in perspective," she said, her voice just as soft. Chase hummed.
"That's way too wise for Ted," he said, startling Ryne into laughing again.
"I know," she agreed.
The two teams were called back to the main command room when an incoming message arrived for them. They ran in as Commander Shaw stood, and the look on her face told them it wasn't going to be good.
"Who is it?" Nate asked as he reached her.
"We're about to find out," Commander Shaw answered, not knowing either. The communication link opened up, and they found themselves looking at Evox's robotic form.
"That's Evox," Devon whispered to the Dino Charge team.
"And that's Snide," Ivan muttered back as he saw their enemy standing to the side. "He's a fiend indeed," he said, and Ryne's fingers dug into her arms.
"Don't have to tell me that," she muttered.
"I hope you've missed me, Rangers," Evox taunted, and Devon's own anger grew as he remembered the last time they had come face-to-face with the virus - when they had finally split him from Devon's father. "Because I have something you want. Keeper is useless to me, so you can have your friend back," they all stayed silent, waiting for what was coming next. "If you give me Ryjack's collection of weapons," Evox bargained.
"I don't think-" Ravi started to whisper to Commander Shaw, but stopped abruptly when she raised her hand.
"It's a deal," Commander Shaw agreed. Nobody spoke, wondering just what she was thinking. Evox laughed.
"A wise decision," he taunted, and Scrozzle appeared on screen.
"I'll send you the location to meet," he told them, and the communication ended. Instantly Nate whirled around.
"But Commander, the weapons!" he protested.
"Keeper knows too much. We need to rescue him," Commander Shaw said firmly.
"It's more than that. Keeper is important. Without him, the Dino Charge Rangers might not win their final battle," Ryne pointed out, looking at the other Rangers standing with them. They looked confused, but didn't push her for meaning on her words. They were too worried about Keeper to press her for answers.
"Once we make that trade, we have to get those weapons back," Devon said, unwilling to risk all the dangerous weapons falling into Evox's hands.
"Yeah, but Keeper's our top priority," Tyler reminded them.
"We'll save Keeper, I promise," Zoey soothed, seeing how affected the Red Ranger was.
"Of course we will. It's what we do," Ryne said, hands on her hips.
"Two Ranger teams working together?" Jeremy said cheerfully, nudging Tyler. "We're unstoppable. We'll get Keeper back for sure," his confident words brought a smile back to Tyler's face.
"Yeah, you're right," he agreed, believing their words. They would save Keeper, no matter what.
The second jeep pulled up at the abandoned warehouse where Scrozzle had directed them, and the last of the Rangers climbed out as Devon, Ravi, Tyler and Steel carefully eased the crate of weapons out of their own jeep.
"This is everything," Ravi said as the others ran over to help them.
"Stay on your guard, guys," Chase warned as his gaze sweep around the mostly empty warehouse. They carried the crate inside, and Ryne checked around the outside to make sure they weren't attacked from behind.
"I don't like this place," Steel said warily as he and Ryne took up the rear.
"Me neither," she replied quietly, on edge as they stepped inside the silent warehouse. Devon and Ravi carried the crate through, looking around for any sign of anyone else.
"Wait," Ryne and Chase spoke at the same time, stopping them in the middle of the massive room.
"That's far enough," the grating voice spoke up, and they looked around to see Snide and Scrozzle emerge from behind some crates, along with Keeper. "Put the relics down, and back right off," Snide ordered. With his sword pressed to Keeper's chest, the Rangers were forced to comply. After setting the crate down, they backed away, and Snide laughed. "Good boys," he taunted as Scrozzle cackled. "Check the package!" Snide warned, his bright golden eye on the Rangers as he kept Keeper beside him.
"Oh!" Scrozzle cheered as he opened the crate and saw a vast collection of weapons. "Wait until Evox sees this!" he laughed as he held up a blaster that the Dino Charge Rangers recognised well. "Thank you, Rangers. You've made my day!" with that declaration, Scrozzle teleported away in a flash of purple.
"Now give us Keeper," Tyler shouted, trying not to think about the amount of weapons they'd been forced to hand over.
"That was our deal," Devon reminded Snide, only for the monster to laugh.
"Deals are made to be broken!" he declared, and their eyes narrowed as they prepared for a fight. "Move aside, Keeper. You're not going anywhere," Snide declared, and Keeper lifelessly moved away from him. "If you're gonna beg for mercy, now's the time!" he offered.
"We aren't going to beg you for anything," Ryne said, holding her powers back as they rose to the surface instinctively. She didn't want to risk Snide finding out who she was.
"Then this will be a cinch!" Snide declared, unphased.
"Yeah, for us," Devon retorted. "It's Morphin' Time!"
"ACTIVATE BEAST POWER, HA!" as they Morphed, the Dino Charge team held out their Chargers.
"Dino Chargers!"
"Ready!"
"UNLEASH THE POWER!" they Morphed as well, all ready to fight against the monster to save Keeper.
"You're going down, Snide," as Devon gave a warning, his Morpher chimed loudly. They frowned, wondering why they were being contacted, as Snide started to laugh.
"That's probably somebody calling to say goodbye!" he taunted. Ryne rolled her eyes.
"How am I technically related to you?" she muttered under her breath. Hearing her, Chase snorted.
"Go ahead, Commander," Devon ignored Snide and answered his Morpher.
"There's a Gigadrone incoming. Downtown, Sector Bravo-3-6," she warned, and they groaned. Evox was already trying to split up their forces.
"Roger that," Devon responded, and glanced to his team. "Ryne, you stay with them and help. With all those weapons, it won't take long for Evox to reanimate someone," he told her. Ryne nodded.
"Scramble will be able to pilot my Zord in the meantime," she agreed, knowing that Devon's call was the right one. With the reanimator and the weapons in Evox's grasp, there was no telling who would pop up next. "Good luck," she told her team, and they ran off.
"Looks like my odds are already improving," Snide taunted, raising his sword over his head.
"I wouldn't count on it," Tyler shook his head.
"You've gone down before, and we'll make sure this time it sticks," Ryne promised, raising her Beast-X Sabre as the others grabbed their weapons. Snide gave a snarl, and rushed at them.
Snide was as strong as Ryne had been told, and he fought off the team of six with ease. When she blocked his sword, Ryne couldn't help but wince at the strength behind his blow.
"There's something about you, brat," Snide growled low as he pushed against her. "I don't like it," he said, and kicked out. Ryne cried out, crashing against the crates nearby.
"You okay?" Jeremy asked as he pulled her to her feet.
"I'm fine. Taken harder hits from Lewis," Ryne told him, and he grinned as they rejoined the fight. Snide continued to throw the team around, and Chase gave a shout as his back slammed against against one of the metal beams and he fell to the ground.
"Pathetic. I couldn't destroy that White Ranger, but if I destroy you as you are now, that's bound to mess with your timeline!" Chase's eyes widened as Snide charged energy up along his sword.
"No you won't!" Ryne stepped between and let her powers crash against Snide's attack. The blue lightning pushed it back, away from Chase, and crackled in the air.
"What?!" in his shock at the sight, Snide didn't move as his attack was destroyed, and Ryne's powers hit him. He went flying backwards into the crates, and Ryne huffed as she shook her hands out.
"Thanks," Chase said as he got up and patted her shoulder. "Though…maybe not the best thing to have done against him," he glanced over at Snide as the monster snarled and kicked the boxes out of the way.
"No kidding," she muttered, knowing that she'd given herself away as Snide focused on her with his eerie golden eye.
"So that's what it is about you," Snide growled. "If I can't destroy that wretched fool, I'll destroy you instead!" he promised.
"Not a chance!" Tyler shouted as the team ran to stand with Chase and Ryne. "We take you down once-"
"Twice," Ryne corrected, unable to help herself. Jeremy giggled.
"Then let's make the third time the charm!" Tyler shouted. "Summon T-Rex Supercharge Zord!" he yelled, and the little T-Rex appeared in his hands. "T-Rex Supercharge Morpher, activate!" Tyler called on his battilizerk, which surrounded him as he ran at Snide. "Supercharge Kick!" he leapt up, and his legs began to glow with power that collided with Snide.
"Whoa," Ryne blinked, eyebrows raised. The others ran back in, helping Tyler turn the tide against Snide.
"What's the matter? Surprised that someone else has crazy power?" Jeremy nudged her. Ryne rolled her eyes.
"Trust me, I'm all too aware of how powerful you all are," she said, and he hummed.
"That's way too much snark for that to be all Ted," he accused her. Ryne didn't reply, instead running off to join the others. Jeremy grinned. "Oh yeah, that's gonna be fun," he laughed to himself.
"Let's do this together!" Tyler shouted, holding out his hand. The other Dino Charge Rangers put their hands on his as Ryne combined her weapons to make the Beast-X Cannon. "Dino Victory Charger, ready!" as he charged up his blaster with their combined powers, Ryne raised her own weapon.
"Beast-X Cannon, ready!"
"Victory, Final Strike!
"Beast-X Cannon, blast!" their attacks combined, and exploded as they hit Snide. To his credit, Snide survived the powerful blasts that shook the warehouse. He was thrown across their battlefield, stopped only by the crates and barrels in his way.
"Give up, Snide!" Tyler shouted to him as he growled in pain. At the Red Ranger's shout, Snide's rage grew and he kicked what few of the crates were still standing out of the way.
"You Rangers are about to pay for everything!" Snide vowed. Ryne sighed, shaking her head.
"He's strong, but there's something so pathetic about this dude," she complained. Snide roared, and ran at them again to keep fighting.
His moves were slower after taking such a heavy hit, but Snide's strength hadn't wavered, and he kicked Koda away before the Blue Ranger could land a hit. Ryne caught his arm, pulling him before he could fall, and they kept pushing forwards.
"I'm going to enjoy killing you, little brat," Snide warned as he caught Ryne's wrist.
"Plenty of people already want that honour, not just because of my parentage. Get in line," she spat back, pushing up so that her helmet slammed against Snide's head. He reared back, letting her go as he put a hand to his face in pain.
"Seriously, where the heck did you train?" Chase laughed as Ryne stumbled backwards.
"That one I learned from Koda," she said, and the Blue Ranger grinned.
"Head strong," he nodded, and Ryne smiled. It faded quickly as she heard sounds behind them, and she turned just in time to see five more monsters appear in a flash of purple behind them.
"Rangers!" at the gruff call from the green alien wearing thick sheets of metal as armour, the others turned quickly.
"Sledge?!" Koda gasped in horror. Ryne groaned.
"Guess who's back!" Sledge mocked as Poisandra, Curio, Fury and Wrench stood with the large alien.
"But we destroy you…in ship crash!" Koda remembered. Ryne cleared her throat.
"Uh…he might have survived that crash," she admitted. Instantly they all whirled around.
"What?!" they shouted, making Ryne wince.
"You defeat him like three times after that!" she defended, raising her hands. "It's not my fault he keeps showing up for you guys!" Ryne whined.
"I suppose it's fourth time's the charm in this case," Ivan sighed as he pushed himself back to his feet. His attention was more on Fury, however.
"You leave my hubby alone!" Poisandra shrieked.
"Oh, they finally got married?" Chase asked, almost idly as they raised their weapons. At that, the fighting resumed as everyone was forced to split up and take the monsters. Ivan took on Fury, leading him around the warehouse as Jeremy fought off Wrench. Tyler went after Sledge, and Chase was taunting Curio while Koda chose Poisandra as his opponent, which left Ryne to fight off Snide.
"They couldn't let me take on the giant pink one?" Ryne complained, more to herself than anyone as she weaved around a metal beam. Snide cursed as his fist hit the pillar, and he drew back. "Give it up, creep. You couldn't beat my parents, and you won't beat me," she warned. "Transport Beast Chakrams!" she called on her weapons and danced away from Snide, before throwing them out. He cursed as they cut through his armour, making him flinch.
"Trust me brat, once I destroy you and these pests, I'll find out just how they got to this time and use it to finish off those two," Snide promised her. Ryne's hands lit up with blue energy and she pulled her Chakrams back to her, only for the monster to ram into her with his shield. She stumbled backwards, unable to block his sword, and cried out as it dragged up her chest. The force lifted her off her feet and she crashed to the ground.
It didn't take long for the other Rangers to land around her, groaning in pain. The allied monsters stood over them, laughing at the fallen Rangers.
"Who said teamwork is just for Rangers?" Sledge mused aloud as he sneered down at the Rangers. In too much pain to get up, they tried to catch their breath and move before the monsters decided to continue their onslaught.
"Shut it, Sledge!" Snide snapped at him. "We need to get those Energems!" he pointed out. Ryne's eyes widened at his words. If the Dino Charge Rangers lost their Energems now, then everything in their time would fall apart.
"Not happening," she growled, getting to her feet. Her hands lit up blue, and her Chakrams flew back into her hands.
"Oh?" Sledge hummed. "I didn't even notice, this one's different. No Energem means we can just get rid of her now," he aimed his blaster at her, only for another voice to shout out.
"Not so fast!" Ryne allowed herself a breath of relief as the rest of her team returned, racing in to stand with her.
"More Rangers?!" Sledge demanded.
"You okay?" Ravi asked, and Ryne nodded.
"Perfectly fine," she answered. "And ready to say goodbye to these creeps," she said.
"You messed with the wrong team," Devon said, and they fired their blasters as Ryne threw out her Chakrams. The sudden barrage of attacks threw the six monsters off their feet.
"You guys okay?" the Rangers turned to help the Dino Charge Rangers back to their feet.
"Admirable firing, friends," Ivan said as Nate helped him and Koda back up.
"Keeper!" Zoey spotted the alien in the corner, and with one powerful leap, she landed beside him and led him to safety.
"We should retreat while they're still down," Ryne said, ignoring her powers crackling at her fingertips.
"You're right. Let's get Keeper to safety," Tyler agreed, and the two teams ran off before they could be stopped.
"They all got away!" Sledge roared, furious that the Energems had once again slipped through his fingers. "And they took Keeper," he whirled around to glare at Snide. "This is your fault, Snide," he accused, and Snide scoffed.
"Please! Tell it to Evox!" he said, and they teleported away, back to Evox.
Returning to Grid Battleforce, the Rangers focused entirely on getting Keeper out of the Compliance Collar. Asher, Ryne and Nate murmured quietly as they worked on trying to figure out just how to remove it safely, while everyone else stood on the sidelines.
There was a tense quiet amongst the others as they waited for some good news, and when Ryne once again came across a dead-end, she huffed and closed her eyes, trying not to get frustrated. She had to help Keeper.
"What about magic?" Chase's question from earlier repeated in her mind, and Ryne hummed to herself.
"You have an idea?" Nate asked when he looked up. He hated that he was just as stumped. He was a genius - he'd developed practically everything they were using at Grid Battleforce and as Rangers, yet the Compliance Collar had him at a loss.
"I have one idea," Ryne said. "Ashe," she leaned in to whisper to her cousin, whose eyebrows furrowed at what the Pink Ranger was saying.
"It's unlike you to make a suggestion like that," she pointed out. Ryne shrugged.
"What is it?" Tyler asked, unable to keep quiet any longer. "Do you have a way to free him?" he asked hopefully.
"Maybe. I'm going to try dispel magic. It might be enough to disrupt the energy going through this thing," Asher told him. "Then Nate and Ryne can do their thing," she said. Chase grinned as he met Ryne's gaze.
"Not a bad idea," he said.
"If it works," Ryne said, smiling faintly in embarrassment.
"It's worth a try," Ivan said, and the other Dino Charge Rangers nodded in agreement. Asher murmured under her breath, and her hands lit up with golden magic.
"Got it!" Nate was fast in his response, and Ryne followed his lead. For a few moments, there was silence, before it was broken by a loud clicking sound, and the collar came away in their hands. Keeper took a deep breath, his shoulders sagging as the haze vanished from his mind.
"Thank you, Rangers," he said as he looked around at them.
"Our mission big success!" Koda smiled, happy to see Keeper back to normal.
"We're happy to have you back, Keeper," Tyler told their mentor. "I'd say it's cause for celebration, but it might be too early," he said, his smile fading as he looked at the other Rangers.
"It's true," Ivan agreed gravely. "Sledge and his comrades have yet to be defeated," he said, and their expressions made it obvious what they were thinking.
"We can handle it," Ryne spoke up, and they turned to her as they felt the crackle of energy in the air. There was a loud clatter as the Compliance Collar landed on the table, completely fried. "You all have to get back to your time. You have Arcanon to defeat and the Dark Energem…well," she offered a cryptic smile.
"She's right," Devon agreed with a nod. "The monsters that were reanimated are our problem in this time. We'll stop them," he said, so confident that the Dino Charge Rangers couldn't help but feel reassured.
"Keeper, do you remember what happened when you were Evox's prisoner?" Ravi asked the alien, who shook his head with a sigh.
"I'm afraid I have no recollection," he admitted, unable to remember anything that happened after he was brought to Evox. It was only when he returned to their world that he could remember things again.
"Whatever they're up to, we can handle it," Zoey spoke up, refusing to let an unknown threat crush her spirits. "We're a team," she said, and they grinned.
"Sorry we can't stay longer, but we have to get back to our team," Tyler apologised, still feeling guilty that they were leaving them with Sledge and the others.
"Trust us, we know you've got a lot of responsibilities to handle," Ravi nodded, nudging Ryne. She rolled her eyes at him as Asher couldn't help but laugh.
"It's been…well, it's been weird," Chase was honest, making the rest of them laugh. "But it's been great fighting alongside you," he told them, patting Ryne on the head. She gave a huff, swatting him away, but he didn't miss her embarrassed look. "And don't worry, I'll use a spell to make us forget," Chase added.
"Even if that does mean forgetting that Sledge is still at large in our own time," Ivan said, and Jeremy nudged him.
"Hey. These guys are proof that we kick his butt what, three times?" he asked Ryne, who nodded with a small smile. "Positive thoughts, right?" he asked, and both Tyler and Chase rolled their eyes at his words. "So let's get back there and kick his butt already," Jeremy declared.
"I really see where you get it from," Ravi said to Lewis, who folded his arms.
"I am not that bad," he argued, but when he saw the dubious looks on everyone's faces, he blushed. "Well then, I hope you guys will enjoy the extra ten mile jog you'll be doing tomorrow morning," instantly they recoiled at his words as the Dino Charge Rangers laughed.
"Good luck with that," Tyler giggled, lifting the transportal device. "Keeper? Ready to go?" he asked, looking at the alien. Keeper looked at the Beast Morphers team, before turning back and nodding.
"Yes, let's go back," he said.
"Thanks for everything," Tyler said, and Devon reached out to shake his hand.
"Good luck," he told them.
"You too," Tyler said, before activating the portal for them to step through.
"See ya around," Chase grinned as they all walked over.
"Hopefully next time, it's under better circumstances," Devon replied, and they laughed before stepping through. As they did, the portal vanished behind them.
"That was…"
"Crazy?" Ravi finished for Ryne.
"Incredible?" Devon suggested.
"Enlightening?" Nate tried.
"Confusing!" Steel decided. Nate tried not to laugh at his brother.
"Amazing," Zoey tried.
"Exhausting," Ryne decided, leaning against the table. They all couldn't help but laugh, and Asher walked over to hug her. She saw the bruises covering the young Pink Ranger, and couldn't help but worry about Snide and the others still out there.
"Evox might have gained valuable intel from Keeper," Commander Shaw considered, bringing them back to the problem at hand. They had rescued Keeper, but he'd been a prisoner for Evox for hours, and now Evox also had a combination of weapons bartered for Keeper's freedom. "We need to stay on guard," she instructed.
"Yes ma'am," the Rangers nodded, all of them quiet as she left. They had all encouraged the Dino Charge Rangers, reassuring them that they could handle the monsters and whatever advantage Evox now had over them.
They just hoped that their own words were true.
Hope you liked it!
This was a lot of fun to write - as much fun as I'm currently having writing Grid Connection, which is proving to be big enough that I've had to split it into two chapters.
Please review!