Dino Thunder: Return of the Eclipse: Chapter 12: Truth and Consequences
Disclaimer: Saban owns all Power Ranger lines.
Copyright: All unrecognizable parts and characters are under December's Phoenix's copyright.
Summary: The Rangers come face to face with reality.
Lucy Brewer never considered herself a violent person. Yes, she fought to keep those in her inner circle safe. But she rarely lashed out unless provoked. But when she stepped into the lab, she would be willing to slaughter the White Ranger to end his reign of terror.
Standing in the middle of the lab, encased in what looked like amber, Dr. Oliver in his Ranger suit. Hayley turned to the Guardian, a defeated look etched on her features, sighing. She motioned to the amber. "You think you can help?" She asked, placing the scanner in her hands down.
Lucy stepped tentatively towards Dr. Oliver. "I can certainly try. I do not promise anything."
"Anything is better than nothing."
"Amen to that one, Hayley." Lucy took the rest of the steps forward, lifting her hands as she closed her eyes and focused on her powers. She opened her eyes when her hand tingled. She lifted them, sensing the block of amber to detect anything. "He's alive. I know that. But I'm not sure what this is…aside from amber."
"I should call the others."
"That's a good idea."
"Hayley, what's going on? It sounded—What the hell is that?" Crystal asked. She and Hunter made their way into the lab. Her emerald eyes spotted the amber-enclosed Black Ranger, and she immediately turned around and walked back upstairs. Hunter stopped at the bottom of the stairs, eyes watching his girlfriend. He sighed and glanced at Lucy, who nodded before he disappeared upstairs behind her.
A few seconds later, Crystal reemerged with Hunter. Lucy turned to her sister, a deadpan look on her features. "Dr. Oliver, now don't be rude about it."
Crystal blinked, moving to Dr. Oliver. "What the hell happened?"
"The White Ranger."
"Is he going to be okay?"
Hayley rounded the two sisters with a scanner in hand. "This internal scan should be able to tell us more."
"What's the deal?" Kira asked. "Is he frozen or something?
"Not exactly." Hayley turned to face the five Rangers. "It's more like he's fossilized fused into this amber-like substance."
"Can you get him out?" Conner asked quietly, afraid of the answer.
"Too risky." Hayley shook her head. "He can stay alive in there, but I'd hate to think what would happen if I broke him out."
Crystal snorted. "This is some form of sick irony, isn't it?"
"A paleontologist turned into a fossil?" Lucy returned, leaning on her sister. "White Ranger has got a great sense of humor."
"Well, personally, I've had enough of him." Kira turned to the two girls.
"Let's find out who this guy is and deal with it now," Conner told the team.
Four of the six Rangers stood at Hayley's a few hours later. "Maybe Hayley's got some ideas." Ethan tried, then caught sight of the packed bar and Hayley frantically running around to fill drinks.
"Yeah, but it looks like she's busy right now," Kira told him.
"Well, let's hit the streets," Conner said. "It's not like the White Ranger's just gonna walk in here."
Trent slid by Kira and Conner. "Hey, Trent." Kira tried.
"Hey."
"Thank goodness. We're getting slammed here." Hayley sighed.
"Listen, I gotta talk to you."
"Later, grab a tray." Hayley handed out some drinks.
"I can't. I'm quitting."
"Why? Trouble with your dad again?" Hayley moved down the bar, and Trent followed her.
"No, it's not Dad." Trent sighed. "I just…I have to quit. I'm sorry." He turned on his heel and moved to make his way out of the building.
"Hey, wait a minute," Kira called, hopping off her stool and walking to Trent, who grunted and turned to her. "You're just going to bail on Hayley like that?"
"Yeah, I know it seems sudden." Trent sighed.
"Don't you think you owe Hayley some kind of explanation?" Kira asked.
"You don't understand. Something weird happened, and I feel I will explode if I don't tell someone."
"What is it?" Kira shifted. "You can tell me."
"Excuse me, people, important announcement!" Cassidy called. She shoved her way through the doors in the middle of Kira and Trent's conversation. "Attention, look at me! I have the scoop of the century. excuse me, girls; I need to stage." She moved to stand at the microphone. "As my faithful poor audience, I wanted to share with you first."
Ethan turned to Conner and Lucy, both having frowns they exchanged before turning to Ethan, who had the same look. "What do you think this is about?"
"Maybe she's decided to run for queen." Kira joked.
Lucy chuckled. "Good one. Maybe she's giving up news."
"That's when hell freezes over, Luce." Conner returned, placing his hands on her shoulders, holding her down when she jumped at the sudden weight on her shoulders.
"I have uncovered the identity of the only white Ranger." All the Rangers turned to each other in shock. Cassidy continued. "And any minute now, my assistant Devin will come through that door with videotape evidence. Any minute." She laughed awkwardly.
Devin busted into the cafe seconds later. "Sorry, Cass, I'm here!" He yelled, skirting around people to reach the stage and his friend.
"So?" Cassidy asked, then glancing at Devin. "Devin, where's your camera?"
"Uh, see, that might be just the problem," Devin answered.
"Only if you don't have it." She leaned in when Devin started to whisper to her. She huffed a breath, turning back to the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, it appears that the white Ranger is…." She paused, either trying to figure out how to say the answer or come up with something, either way, it kept everyone listening. "… taped on a camera that Devin stupidly loaned his sister. But when she returns it, I'll let you know."
Lucy sighed, chuckling. A few seconds went by when her morpher beeped. She turned to the Rangers, sighing. "What's the word, bird?"
"I have a riddle for you," Crystal answered. "Two generals and an evil White Ranger walk into a warehouse district. What do you get?"
Lucy glanced at the three Rangers standing beside her. "An awful fight?"
"To be determined. But I'm sending the cycles and will meet you there as soon as possible." Crystal reported.
"Right."
"Hold it right there!" Conner yelled. He, Ethan, and Kira parked their bikes against the generals and Ranger. Crystal swung her leg off Kira's bike while Lucy climbed from Conner's. The five ran out in front of their bikes, the Guardians already unsheathing their swords.
"Great, that's all we need." Elsa groaned.
"Whoa, who's side do we take?" Ethan asked.
Elsa snarled. "We'll make it easy for you." She and Zeltrax disappeared in a fit of green lightning.
The White Ranger turned to them. "If you had any sense, you'd run too."
"Dream on." Kira pointed at him.
"Nice try." Crystal barked, shouldering her blade.
"Let's do it." Conner challenged, brandishing his saber.
He charged first, swinging down. The White Ranger blocked it, showing it out of the way and slicing Conner once. Twice. He ducked under Conner, slicing him again and then striking Ethan. Kira tried one, opening for a swing that the White Ranger took. He ducked under her, slicing her again multiple times. Finally, he caught her shoulder, shoving her against the wall of a building. "Had enough?" He asked.
"Hardly." Kira returned. "Super Dino Mode!" She called. Her suit morphed in a flash of yellow. Her white triangles got thicker. Spikes appeared on her legs and boots, and a yellow cape appeared around her arms, like wings. She sliced him in the chest, sending him flying. She pushed off the ground, hooking her feet around his shoulders and dragging him.
"You'll pay for that." The White Ranger snarled, rising to his feet and forming arrows. "I'm going to take you down."
The arrows hit Kira, sending her to the ground. Conner and Ethan jumped in front of her. "Lasers." The two yanked their blasters free, firing shots that were shot right back at them. They landed in front of Kira.
The White Rangers suddenly stumbled forward when a flash of silver appeared. He whipped around to see Crystal standing before the downed Rangers. Chuckling to himself, he charged Crystal, swinging down with his blade. The Gold Ranger dodged, twisting to one side and kneeing him in the stomach. She slammed her elbow into his helmet, knocking him to the ground.
The White Ranger snarled, rising and swiping through the air. A series of pale yellow arrows formed. He sent them at the Guardians, striking Crystal in the ribs and torso while missing Lucy. The Silver Guardian rolled, pushing off the ground and aiming for the White Ranger. Instead, he grabbed her arm, twisting them around and sending her flying into the side of a building.
"That's enough." Kira grounded out, pushing off the ground and charging at the White Ranger. She threw a punch.
The evil Ranger caught it, twisting them around. "You're a little out of your league, don't you think?" He asked, slicing upwards and sending Kira flying forward. "See my point?" He wondered, forming another round of arrows. Kira stood up but flew back again when the arrows landed around her. Her morph disappeared in seconds.
Conner and Ethan tried to attack but were quickly sent to the ground. "Out of my way." The White Ranger yelled, walking to the downed Yellow Ranger. "Never did like the color yellow." He crouched above her. "Well, Yellow Ranger, time to say goodbye." He yanked her up by one of her arms, making her gasp in surprise. "Huh? Kira? I-I…" He bent over, holding his helmet in pain.
"You ready?" Conner asked, rising to his feet.
Ethan nodded. "Oh yeah."
"Super Dino Mode!" The two called, their suits transforming in flashes of red and blue. Ethan's suit had large spikes at his shoulders and legs. The two charged, pushing the White Ranger away from the downed girl. They continued to slice him, sending him crashing to the ground in a fit of sparks.
The White Ranger climbed to his feet, grunting. "I'll be back." He pointed at the two, then disappeared.
Conner and Ethan breathed. "Power down," Conner spoke, making their morphs shatter in flurries of blue and red. They breathed, racing over to Kira and helping her up.
"You okay?" Ethan asked.
Kira held her wrist. "Yeah, I'll be fine."
Crystal grunted from the ground, a hand on her ribs. "That's fantastic to hear." She barked, groaning in pain again. She swore lowly, under her breath, while she wheezed and climbed to her feet, moving to the Rangers. "Damn, that guy can throw."
"Where's Lucy?" Conner glanced around.
A grunt resounded from the side of one of the buildings. The Silver Ranger appeared, holding her side. "I'm gonna kill him."
"Trent?" Kira asked, finding him sitting on a bench alone a few hours after the fight. "Where'd you go?" She took a seat next to him.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have just taken off like that." Trent apologized.
"Look, I can't help you if I don't know what's happening." Kira tried. She turned to the sketchbook when Trent opened it to the pages he had been working on…the ones of the White Ranger. "Trent, if you're going to dream about being a superhero, the White Ranger is not who you want to be."
Trent sighed. "I wish I had a choice."
"What are you saying."
Kira watched Trent hold out his arm, exposing the silver band and the white dino gem in the middle. Rage started to build up in her. "You? You almost annihilated the Brewers and I." She yelled.
"But I didn't."
Kira stood up, flinching and swatting Trent's hand away when he tried to stop her. "Let go of me."
"I can't help it. The gem…" Trent trailed off, clearing his throat. "It's changed me. I can't take it off or control what I'm doing. You have to believe me."
"Why should I?"
"I would never intentionally hurt anyone, Kira, especially you."
"Okay, I think I know some people who can help." Kira bit her lip. "I'm gonna get Conner, Ethan, Crystal, and Lucy."
Trent paused. "Wait a minute, all of them too?"
"Hard to believe." Kira tilted her head. "But I need you to wait until I come back."
Trent nodded. "Okay."
"I don't know what happened, but she has been grumbling for a while now." Lucy breathed, stepping down the last stair and wincing; her hands flew to her ribs.
Conner moved to her. "Who?"
"Me, butthead," Crystal snarked, slowly descending the stairs, wincing every second. "Hurts to even breath." She stopped. "Is this what it was like when you bruised your ribs?"
The lunar ninja turned to her sister. "Yeah, pretty much." She spoke, directing her sister to one of the chairs. She turned back around, meeting Kira's eyes. "You spoke very seriously, so what's up?"
"Trent's the White Ranger," Kira admitted.
The Rangers turned to face her from where they were standing, staring at the Yellow Ranger with wild and shocked looks. Ethan spoke first. "Trent?" He asked, shaking his head in shock. "Oh, there's no way."
Conner marched up right behind Hayley and Ethan. He glanced at the ninjas a few steps away, leaning against the table. "Nice." He snarked, turning back to Kira. "Pretending to be our friend one minute and then kicking our butts to the next. I can't believe I fell for it."
"I told you he can't help it." Kira tried. "The gem is too powerful."
"Stop defending him." The Red Ranger snapped.
"I'm with Conner on this one," Ethan told the Yellow Ranger. "Look at what he did to Dr. O and the Brewers."
Kira turned to Lucy and Crystal, both watching silently. "Lucy, Crystal, please." She caught a look in Lucy's eyes that spoke volumes. She wanted to help, even if it would bite her in the butt for it, but the ninja made no movement to support Kira. Her eyes flicked to Crystal, who held nearly the same look. She wanted to help but couldn't. The Yellow Ranger turned to the redhead. "Hayley, he needs our help."
Hayley shook her head. "I don't know if there is anything I can do, but I'll try." She turned to walk out.
Conner stopped her. "Hey, don't go without us. I got some stuff I'd like to say to that guy."
"No doubt." Ethan turned to the ninjas. "You coming?"
"What the heck, why not?" Crystal pushed off the table and walked to the Rangers. Lucy trailed her seconds later.
When the six reached where Kira meant to meet Trent, they found an overturned bench and his sketchbook. "He was supposed to wait right here." She rounded the bench, bending down to pick up the book.
"Well, there's a surprise," Ethan commented. "He lied to us again."
"Kira, I'm telling you, Trent can't be trusted," Conner argued.
Crystal shook her head. "This doesn't make sense." She glanced around, scoping out the spot. "Why would Trent tell Kira he wants to go good but not show up?"
"At this point, I don't care." Conner turned to her.
"No, this matters," Lucy spoke up. She hesitated, sighing and turning to Kira. "There is a way. T-to help clear the dino gem's energy."
Kira stepped forward. "Why didn't you guys say so earlier?"
Crystal snorted. "You think I wanna help this guy?" She moved to get in Kira's face. "I don't know if you know this, but most people have to want to be good before she even thinks about using it."
"She?"
Crystal didn't move from invading Kira's personal space, staring at the Yellow Ranger. "The Lunar Guardian has a spell she can perform. The Spell of Magical Cleansing. Only performed during a blue moon, which arrives in two days." She walked away from Kira. Crystal lifted the bench, turned it over, and sat with her legs folded.
"It purges energy. But it requires a lot of power." Lucy spoke, shuffling some dirt around with the toe of her boot. "But the caveat is that I am the only one that can do it."
"No." Conner barked.
The silver ninja turned to all three of them. "I didn't finish, cranky pants. I'm not doing it." She turned to Kira. "He's unpredictable. We have no idea what he is capable of. Until then, we figure out another way…or risk fighting him for good."
"I'm picking up the White Ranger's signal," Hayley called from the computers. "He's back."
Conner helped Lucy from the ground while Ethan and Kira pulled Crystal up. The five made their way to the computers. They stared at the screen, watching the White Ranger land on the ground and lift his morpher to his helmet. "Dragozord. Stegozord." He called. Two zords rumbled out of their hiding spots and formed the White Ranger's Megazord in seconds.
"Great, Megazord action right off the bat." Ethan groaned.
"Well, this might be a good time to use some new dinosaurs," Hayley glanced up at the team. She grinned at the sisters. "It took some time, but I've modified your zords to work with your energy."
"Test drive?" Crystal offered.
Lucy grinned back. "I'm ready to kick his ass."
"Let's do it." Conner nodded.
"Oh yeah," Ethan agreed.
The five stopped in the middle of the lab. Conner glanced at the ninjas, who turned to watch them leave. "Wait." He turned to Kira. "We've got to do whatever it takes to stop Trent; you know that, right?" When Kira nodded, the Red Ranger nodded. "Okay, ready?"
"Ready."
Dino Thunder, Power Up!
Eclipse Ranger, Dino Power!
Dino Power!
Guardian of the Sun!
Guardian of the Moon!
"Dinozords manual engage," Hayley reported.
The Thundersaurus Megazord appeared against the White Ranger with the Eclipse Megazord beside them. "Here you go, guys. The Ankylozord." The ground shook. An orange and silver dinozord appeared. It had a turning tail and a shield-like top. It roared, stomping towards the two Megazords, the tail and shield spinning.
"A new dinozord." The White Ranger spoke. "I'll add it to my collection." He reached for it.
"I don't think so." Conner returned. The Megazord reached for his head. The two got into a tugging fight for the Ankylozord. Just before the zord could react, a tail slammed into his chest, knocking him back and away from the Ankylozord.
"It doesn't matter how many you have." The White Ranger snarled. "You will fail!"
The Ankylozord roared, firing off a tail blaster that hit the White Ranger. "What are you guys waiting for?" Hayley asked. "The Ankylozord may be small, but check out his power."
"Ankylozord, weapon formation." The Rangers called. The Ankylozord replaced the Tricerazord arm. "Formation complete."
The White Ranger fired shots at the Rangers. Using the shield of the Ankylozord, the Rangers deflected them, sending them back at the White Ranger. He sparked and screamed while the Rangers attacked, sliding by him and striking him. "Thundersaurus Megazord, double drill attack." The two drills powered up, rapidly spinning. They sliced down twice, then hit the White Ranger with the spinning Ankylozord tail.
"Right on!" Hayley cheered.
"Aw yeah!" Crystal smiled, tapping her forearm against her sister.
Hours later, a knock on the door had Lucy regretting everything in her life. She returned to the apartment, needing somewhere closer than the academy to spend the night since she had training with the Rangers in the morning. Inches away from climbing into bed when the knocks resounded in the empty apartment had Lucy sighing heavily. She trudged her way to the door and yanked it open. Conner stood on the other side, hands tucked into his pockets. "Conner?" Lucy asked, opening the door further. "What the hell are you doing here? More importantly, how did you find… here?"
"Crystal," Conner answered her. "She asked if I could come by and check on you."
Lucy pursed her lips. "I'm too exhausted to tell if you are lying, so come on in." She opened the door wider, allowing the soccer star to walk in. She closed it, leaning heavily against the door. "I don't think I got to tell you this earlier, but thank you."
"For what?"
"Saving my butt in that fight." Lucy cracked a smile. "I think I would have been a goner when the White Ranger had your blade in my face."
Conner shook his head, smiling. "It's what teammates do, Luce."
Lucy rolled her eyes. She smiled, then it fell. "Why are you here, Conner?"
"I realized that life is too short."
"You're now realizing that?" Lucy folded her arms over her stomach. "I guess that's a good thing." She teased, grinning.
Conner rolled his eyes. "Lucy Brewer, would you like to go on a date?" Lucy only could stare at Conner, mouth partially open, trying to process his question. He shifted a little uncomfortably under her stare. "Luce?" He asked tentatively.
The Guardian blinked, shaking her head. "Let me get this straight. Seeing me at blade point brought this whole thing up?" She waved her arms wildly in the air.
"Yes?" Conner returned, scratching the back of his head.
She nodded. "And…this isn't a joke?"
"Why would it be?"
"Conner, you're known for not having serious relationships."
"…What if I wanted to change that?"
Lucy eyed him carefully, sighing. "Do not make me regret this, McKnight."
"That's a yes?"
"Yes."
Ah! I'm so excited. I feel like I'm trying to redeem myself from when I wrote Hunter and Crystal by writing Lucy and Conner. But I will tell you I always planned on Conner and Lucy getting together, so here you go.
Next Episode: Leader of the Whack