Dino Thunder: Return of the Eclipse: Chapter 13: Leader of the Whack
Disclaimer: Saban owns all Power Ranger lines.
Copyright: All unrecognizable parts and characters are under December's Phoenix's copyright.
Summary: "Changing personalities was weird…and terrifying."
Trent had to get out of Reefside.
The gem acted out. It had wanted more since it got close to the Guardian gems in the recent battle. He had tried his hardest to escape the Rangers, but it became practically impossible since they hung out at Hayley's. So the only reasonable thing to do: get out of the city and away from the Rangers, where he could hurt no one.
Stumbling his way down a hill, Trent heaved a few breaths, pulling out the GPS he had in his hands. "I have to get further away." He sighed, pocketing the device and taking off. He glanced at the gem. "It's not safe."
—
Conner almost always took advantage of the quiet days when Mesogog decided not to send a monster. He and the other primary Rangers occupied the lab, having accepted the call from Hayley about hanging out in the lab. Ethan sat at the little desk against one of the pillars, typing away on his laptop. Kira tucked herself in the corner of the lab, her guitar in hand. And Conner pulled out his red soccer ball, narrating his game. Hayley stationed herself near Dr. Oliver, scanning the amber around him.
"Hayley, one more level till I beat my record." Ethen grinned, turning back to his computer. Unfortunately, he missed Conner, who picked his soccer ball up and shot it onto Ethan's keyboard, effectively ending his game. "Conner! Now I have to start all over."
"You know, there is this great new thing called the outdoors. You might want to check it out." Conner wrapped his arm around Ethan, pulling him from his computer.
"Tell you what, I'll check that out when I see you were checking out the library." Ethan snarked back.
"Got as much chance of that as seeing Kira at a fashion show." Conner returned. "Or the sisters with no discipline."
Kira stopped strumming, looking up. "Do you want to go there?" She turned to Hayley. "Any luck on defossiling him?"
Hayley shook her head. "Not yet. I can't find an energy source that can safely break the molecular bonds of the amber."
"What about the Guardian powers?" Ethan asked, moving over to the redhead. Conner followed. "They can do a lot."
Footsteps down the stairs took all their attention. "Ethan, do you know how our powers work?" Crystal asked, wiping her forehead on the back of her hand. When she reached the bottom, she flung her ninja suit jacket onto an empty table before tugging her pants up slightly. The light yellow tank top she wore had bits of sweat around her neck.
Lucy wasn't any better. She wore her suit pants and boots with a grey tank top. Her gauntlets were tucked into her boots, and she held her jacket by the collar with the waistband tied around her thigh and looped around itself. Sweat pooled around her neck and across her back while drips lined her forehead and down her temples. "Doesn't work like that." She tossed her jacket with Crystal's. "Maybe when we didn't have the morphers, but not now."
"Why were the morphers important?" Kira questioned.
"Guardians are powerful, like exceptionally powerful. Morphers become siphons, ways to use our powers without completely depleting us. It would be dangerous to assume that nothing would happen if we used our powers to free Dr. O." Crystal explained.
Saving the Guardians from further explanation, the computer beeped. All the Rangers gathered around Hayley, who moved to sit in the seat. "The computer is picking up a strange reading in the forest."
"All right, let's go look," Conner announced, the Rangers following him out of the lab.
—-
"We're the first on the scene. This is hot." Cassidy cheered, stomping through the forest in her heeled boots. Devin and Trent were behind her. When they stumbled on Trent, Cassidy, and Devin had been in the woods, trying to find the White Ranger. After finding him there, they watched a meteorite crash to Earth. "There it is. Devin, start rolling."
"Careful," Trent advised.
"Oh, it's harmless." Cassidy shoved Devin forward. "Get closer."
"Whoa." Devin sighed. "You sure, Cas? I mean, it's still smoking. Oh, looked good on camera."
"What do you think it is?" Cassidy asked.
"Hard to say." Trent glanced down at his glowing gem, worry in his features. Afraid he would bust out as the White Ranger, and Cassidy will have it all on film.
"Trent?" All three turned to find all five Rangers standing there. Crystal, Lucy, and Kira stood before the boys, with Lucy between Conner and Ethan. Most likely to ensure they don't do anything stupid. With what he had done to Kira and Lucy in the past, he knew the team, especially Conner and Crystal, would want to tear him apart.
"What were you guys doing here?" Trent asked, rising from his crouched position. He eyed the two ninjas directly before him, staring daggers in his direction.
"I could ask you the same thing." Conner snipped. "Haven't seen you around for a while."
"Yeah, we need to catch up," Ethan added.
Lucy sighed, turning over her shoulder to the two. "Cool it. Before you do something that you'll regret."
"There isn't anything I'll regret at this point." Conner returned.
"We came here for that." Crystal pointed down to the rock in the ground. "And that's what we're doing."
"Pardon. I don't think I'm supposed to let you do that." All the teenagers turned, finding a monster with long arms and a pod of Tyrannodrones around them.
"If you are like Eyessac, we'll have serious problems." Crystal groaned.
Lucy snorted. "Gods, I hope not."
Cassidy gasped. "Quick, run!" She ordered Devin. The two took off to hide behind a tree.
"You want me to get this?" Devin lifted his camera.
"Hideous mutants in this town?" Cassidy asked. "Forget about it; let's get out of here. Devin, wait for me!" What any of the Rangers fail to see is a purple sphere disappear into Cassidy and Devin, who skirted by the rock.
Conner turned his head to Trent. "Whose side are you on today, Trent?"
"You want my help or not?"
"As long as you don't try to kill one of us, I won't hurt you. Promise that." Crystal returned.
"If it's all the same, I'll watch from here." The monster blubbered.
The Rangers fought, each taking on their share of Tyrannodrones. Trent ducked under a swing. He pushed another swing away, blocking and punching a Tyrannodrone. Kira blocked a swing. She rotated her arms, stopping more swings. Conner dodged, backflipping. But the Tyrannodrones caught his feet, dragging him back. They flipped him around onto his feet. He punched one and kicked another back.
Ethan jumped over a swing. He punched one, turning around and throwing him into his buddies. Turning around and noticing more behind him, he jumped over the fallen one, dodging swings. He pulled the two tyrannodrones to the ground. Lucy and Crystal tag-teamed. Lucy flipped one while Crystal caught a punch aimed at her sister. The two twisted around, blocking swings. Lucy caught a punch when her morpher went off. "Brewer."
"Guys, I'm analyzing the radiation from that rock, and it's freaky," Hayley announced. "Get away from it."
Crystal sighed. "A little late for that."
"What a strange little rock?" The monster hummed, getting closer to the rock. He shuttered when a purple ball hit him in the chest. He turned to see Conner in his vicinity. "I want a piece of the action." He swung down, the large ball at the end of his arm colliding with Conner's back.
That sent the Red Ranger forward. The Rangers regrouped around Conner, all breathing heavily. Ethan glanced around, then at the Guardians, who were smirking back at him. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
Conner rose. "Ready?"
"Ready."
Dino Thunder, Power Up!
Silver Ranger, Dino Power!
Gold Ranger, Dino Power!
Dino Power!
Guardian of the Sun!
Guardian of the Moon!
The monster threw his arm forward. "Attack!"
Trent grabbed the arm of one, turning him around. A purple ball hit him in the back. He threw his arm up, punching the Tyrannodrone back. He punched another, sending him back. His vision started to get fuzzy, but breathing deeply seemed to help.
Lucy flipped the first one that attacked. She grabbed a punch, twisting him around and using him as a shield against his friends. She shoved him forward, backflipping to avoid a sweeping kick. She avoided a hit, jumping up and hitting him in the chin. She flipped over two more, grabbed one's shoulders while she did, and flipped him into his pile. She grasped when a rattle in her powers raked through her.
Kira backflipped into her pod. She kicked at the closest Tyrannodrone. When she landed from her flip, she kicked one in the chest. Ducking under a swing, she kicked the back of the henchman. She ducked under a punch, feeling strange when a ripple of magic through her. She ducked under a punch and sent one back.
Ethan stopped a punch. He sent a kick to the Tyrannodrone, sending him back. He dodged a swing, then grabbed the arm of one and threw him. He kicked one back, grunting when power rippled over him. He grunted loudly, flexing. He threw his arms back, hitting two in the chest. He charged forward, hooking his arms around two, and flipped himself around. He slammed into one, sending him back.
Crystal breathed, avoiding a kick. She threw a punch, hitting one in the chest, sending him flying. She whipped around, kicking another one in the chest. She dodged a punch, grabbing his arms and flipping him to the ground before jumping up to avoid a kick. She threw another well-aimed punch at the pod, sending them all back.
Conner blocked a punch. He high-kicked, sending one to the ground. He tried to punch one, then swept the feet from another. He kicked another one back. Conner blocked a punch and then kicked him into a tree. He dodged another swing, shoving him back. He missed the two orbs that hit him in the chest. He froze, grunting at the power. Shaking off the feeling, Conner went up against the monster, missing a swing before kicking the arm of the monster back. He caught both arms before jumping up and kicking the monster back.
"I'll be back for round two." The monster snarled, the Tyrannodrones regrouping around him. "Retreat!"
The Rangers gathered around each other, powering down. "Well, that was a challenging altercation." Conner breathed, glancing around.
Ethan heaved a breath. "I was just getting started. I wanted to annihilate that goon."
Kira started to pick at her nails. "Ew, I've got dirt under my nails. That's like totally disgusting."
"Guys?" Crystal asked, moving around to stand before them, relinquishing her morph. "You feeling okay?"
Lucy glanced around. "Where's Trent?"
Everyone's morphers beeped. "Guys, head back to the lab. I have some news about the space rock."
The three primary Rangers glanced at each other. "Space rock?" They asked in unison.
Crystal slapped her forehead. "This is going to be bad."
—
The Rangers regrouped in the lab, standing around Hayley, whose fingers frantically typed against the keyboard before her. "It's actually a meteor fragment." She reported.
"Fascinating." Conner tucked his hands under his arms. "It must have broken off during some sort of intergalactic collision." The Rangers followed him. He walked away from them, turning around to look at the team. Hayley, Lucy, and Crystal all exchanged worried glances. Conner caught them, staring at Lucy. "What?"
"I'm just afraid that coming in close contact with it might have some strange side effects," Hayley told them. "Do you guys feel okay?"
"I, for one, am going home," Kira spoke, her voice a little more nasally than usual. "If I don't soak my cuticles in an aloe bath, my nails will never grow out."
The Guardians turned to Ethan, watching him start to poke his chest, and quirked eyebrows at each other, then at Ethan. "I have to hit the gym. I need to work on my pecs."
"I want to get home to watch that documentary on the Great Pyramids. Looks fascinating." Conner turned to Lucy. "You coming?"
Lucy stared at Conner, knowing Hayley and her sister were looking at her. She gave him a soft smile. "I'm good. Thank you." She told him. "We'll hang out later, okay?"
"Okay." Conner smiled, walking out of the lab with Kira and Ethan.
Crystal fully turned to Lucy. "A documentary on the Pyramids?"
The Silver Guardian eyed her carefully. "I fully think that was the idea."
"As a date?" Crystal stopped when Lucy froze. She gasped and screamed, startling Hayley and Lucy and making them whip around to her.
Lucy returned the scream at a lower volume, her hands nearly flying to her ears. "How did that come out of you?!" She yelled, now fighting off her sister's attempt at a hug.
Finally, Crystal wrapped her arms around her little sister, tugging her into a tight hug. "Did he ask you out?"
"Yes, a few weeks ago," Lucy answered, gently pulling away from her sister. "We had our first date a week ago."
Hayley smiled at the two. "I'm glad someone finally did it." She told them. "I was getting tired of Conner constantly looking at you and getting overly protective when you get hurt."
Lucy scoffed. "He doesn't stare at me." Her smile faded. She turned to Crystal. "Does he?"
"How are you so oblivious?"
"I'm going to go pass away now." Lucy raced out of the lab with Hayley and Crystal's laughter following her. "I hate you both!"
"Love you!"
—
Crystal felt the awkward and highly noticeable shift in the air when she walked into the lab, Lucy trailing her. Ethan stood in the middle of the back of the lab, dressed in grey sweatpants and a dark blue tank top, lifting dumbbells. He turned to see the Guardians walking into the lab, watching him closely. "Sup girls." He greeted, continuing his bicep curls. Then, he caught sight of Hayley entering the lab. "Sup Hayley."
Hayley turned around, seeing the two ninjas with training swords. She turned back to the Blue Ranger. "Ethan, are you sure you're feeling okay?"
Ethan nodded, curling the weight he held. "Oh yeah, I'm pumped and ready to rock."
Conner entered the lab from the tunnel with a stack of books and papers. He wore a blazer and button-up with glasses on his nose. "Good morning, all. The weather is particularly pleasant, very low humidity."
"Whatever, bro." Ethan gruffed. "How do my arms look? Am I ripped or what?" He and Conner both glanced down at the Blue Ranger's arms.
"Good morning Kira," Conner spoke.
Everyone turned to see Kira in a bright yellow dress with a sheer overlay on top. Four bags hung around her arms. "Hello." She waved. "Sorry, I'm late. There was a sale…and I, well, you understand."
"Hey, you guys think I'm ready for the Iron Man competition?" Ethan asked, still curling the weight.
The Guardians and Hayley glanced at each other, uncertainty in their looks. "Okay, there were definitely side effects from your exposure to the meteor. We need to destroy that rock to get you guys back to normal." Hayley mentioned.
"Side effects?" Conner quickly asked. "I find that highly improbable."
"I feel like I could kick Mesogog's butt myself." Ethan spoke.
The computer beeped. Everyone turned to see it. "That's going to have to wait," Hayley spoke. "Looks who's back."
The sisters watched the three drop what they had. Kira adjusted her headband. "Ready?" Conner asked.
"Ready." The four returned.
Dino Thunder, Power Up!
Silver Ranger, Dino Power!
Gold Ranger, Dino Power!
Dino Power!
Guardian of the Sun!
Guardian of the Moon!
—
The Rangers landed before the monster, attacking the innocent civilians in the plaza. The Guardians landed behind the primary Rangers, watching them interact. Conner held a hand to his chin. "Let's devise a strategy of attack."
"I've got a strategy." Ethan cracked his knuckles through his gloves. "We crush him."
Kira stood with one leg pulled against the other, her visor starting down at her suit. "The lines on my suit are so completely wrong. Why doesn't anyone make superhero costumes for petite?"
Crystal placed her helmeted forehead in her gloved hand. "This is going to be a nightmare."
"What are you talking about?" Lucy returned. "It already is."
The monster turned around. "Colorful Earthlings, prepare to be destroyed." He threw his arms down, sending powerful blasts at Conner, striking him in the chest.
Conner scrunched up, covering his stomach. "That was totally uncalled for!" He turned to the Yellow Ranger, hand outstretched. "Kira, a hand?"
Kira placed a hand on her helmet. "I just know I will have the worst helmet hair after this." She rubbed her helmet. The monster sent blasts to the Yellow and Blue Rangers, sending them to the ground. Conner curled between them.
The monster laughed. "You're no match for me, silly Rangers." He growled.
Lucy threw her head back, groaning. "This has already turned into a nightmare!" She called, brandishing her broadsword. She jumped over the downed Rangers, charging the monster.
"Later, losers!" He disappeared before Lucy could strike.
The three climbed to their feet. "I told you we should have thought this through," Conner told the team.
"In my business: you go big, or you go home." He turned to Conner.
Kira glanced at her teammates. "Well, I say we go to the mall."
The three scattered, leaving the two Guardians alone. "You good?" Crystal asked, folding her arms over her chest. "'Cause I'm not." She stated, letting her morph shatter.
"You also angry?" Lucy breathed, replacing her rapier on her back, her morph breaking seconds later. She checked her watch. "I have homework." She grumbled, running a hand over her hair.
"Yeah, work off the anger." Crystal winked at her. "Or go talk to your boyfriend." She grinned, batting at Lucy's hand flying to her. She paused, catching the other incoming hand. "More than I think about it, maybe not him. He's probably part of the problem right now."
"You think?" The Lunar Guardian shot back. She rolled her eyes. "Call me if you figure something out before I break someone's face."
"Hey, that's my threat, ding-dong." Crystal argued, then nodded. "But sure, I will."
—
An hour following the failed battle, Lucy sat at the bar at Hayley's, her head practically buried in her textbook while she took notes. Her plan included finishing homework in the quietness of the cafe, interrupted by a loud slam. Her toffee-colored eyes narrowed as she turned over her shoulder, finding Devin walking in with a paisley shirt, tan pants, and a brown leather jacket on, and his hair gelled in a high hairstyle.
Girls trailed him, but one caught Lucy's attention. Cassidy. Dressed in a white shirt under a plaid dress, she looked like the opposite of the Cassidy Lucy knew. Her hair was pulled into two pigtails and gelled or greased. She had glasses, pimples, and a set of braces on. She wore knee-high white socks and a pair of brown sandals.
"Ladies," Devin spoke, kicking out and turning around in a second. "Clear my booth." Devin and Cassidy moved to the jukebox, where Devin hit it with his elbow to play a song before sauntering to the stage. He pulled his leather jacket off, tossing it to a girl.
Cassidy twirled her hair between her fingers. "When will you track down the evil White Ranger, Devin?"
"Right after I…see you on the dance floor," Devin spoke, jumping up to the stage. He snapped, a disco ball falling at that moment. He landed in the splits, one leg out and one bent, before jumping up and dancing on the stage in front of the swooning women.
"Give me a break," Lucy muttered, not seeing Conner sitting near her.
Conner glanced up, seeing Devin before turning to see Lucy. "Hello." He met silence from the girl. "Is there something wrong?"
"I don't know," Lucy answered, returning to her textbook to copy the homework. "You tell me."
At that moment, their morphers beeped. Kira, who just walked in, moaned and turned, walking right out. Ethan grunted, stopping his workout. Conner groaned and slammed his books shut. Lucy closed her book, quickly packing while twisting out of her seat and heading out with the rest of the Rangers.
—
"Hey, guys," Hayley spoke from where she and Crystal stood at the computers
"What now?" Ethan demanded. "I was having a super intense workout."
"And I was right in the middle of a compelling biography," Conner added.
Kira paused. "Is this going to involve dirt? 'Cause if it does, I will have to say uh-uh."
"Sorry I interrupted your busy day." Hayley snarked back. "I just thought you might like to know that Crystal and I have found a way to unfossilized Dr. Oliver."
The Rangers stopped. "Really?" Kira asked.
"Crystal's good at science?" Lucy joked, climbing the stairs and laughing.
Crystal clicked her tongue and pushed Lucy's shoulder. "You're not the only one who took smart classes in high school." She turned to the Rangers. "The meteorite." She was met with confused looks. "The theory is that the meteor frees your inner self."
"That's why you guys are acting so weird," Hayley added.
"Of course, if you could harness its power, you could free Dr. Oliver from the inside out." Conner got excited. "Although I do take offense to being called weird." He pushed his glasses up.
"Sorry, you're not being weird," Crystal shook her head. "But instead of seeing the usual side of all of you, we're seeing a side that you normally keep tucked away. Like a recessive personality trait, something less common."
"Exactly," Hayley nodded. "Like, Conner, a part of you is intelligent, studious. Ethan, a part of you is athletic, even competitive."
"So, that's why Trent helped us?" Kira asked. "There's still a part of him that's really good." The three nodded.
"I still don't get any of this." Ethan shrugged.
Crystal rolled her eyes. "You don't have to." She told him. "You three have to pull it together as a team before something bad happens."
"Sounds logical." Conner nodded. "Maybe a little terrifying."
"Okay, here's what I need you to do." Hayley started, but the computer beeped. She turned around. "No, again?" She turned back to the Rangers. "First things first."
The Rangers dropped everything that they were holding. "Ready?" Conner asked.
"Ready." The four returned.
Dino Thunder, Power Up!
Silver Ranger, Dino Power!
Gold Ranger, Dino Power!
Guardian of the Sun!
Guardian of the Moon!
—
"Being bad feels really good." The monster snarled. He stumbled forward when shots hit his back. He turned around to see the Rangers standing before him. "You again?"
"Thundermax Saber!" Conner announced, holding out his sword. He charged, jumping up and landing before the monster, slicing down and hitting him in the chest. He whipped around, striking him again. He kicked him back while rolling away from him. "Most excellent."
"I got something for you too." Ethan pointed at the monster.
"Wow, leave some for me." Kira and Ethan jumped over Conner, using his shoulders as leverage before they kicked the monsters back. The three pulled their lasers, firing shots at the monster and sending him back. They turned around in a proud stance, missing the monster climbing to his feet.
But as the monster fired his own lasers, a golden streak landed before the preoccupied Rangers. A silver streak slashed across the monster, shoving him between the two. Lucy tilted her helmet up. "Nice try."
The monster snarled, but the Rangers were faster. "This guy gives us no choice," Conner muttered.
Super Dino Mode!
"Dino Rangers Rock!" The Rangers jumped into the battle before the Guardians could move. They dodged the blasts, with Kira and Conner striking him in the stomach. Ethan slammed into him. The monster shook him loose, spinning around and trying to knock them off their feet.
The Rangers backflipped, avoiding blasts. They pushed off, Kira and Ethan flipping over him and holding him in place while Conner kicked him. The two twisted around, striking him, then moving for Conner to strike again. "Excellent." Conner nodded.
Lucy whistled. "Hey, dinky Rangers, put 'em together."
The three formed the Z-Rex Blaster, during it in seconds and sending the blast to the monster. He sparked and exploded instantly. "So fabulous!" Kira cheered.
"Fine work, team." Conner announced.
Lucy and Crystal moved to the three. "You three didn't even let us try." Crystal laughed. "Now I feel bad."
Then the typical dark cloud appeared, and the rain formed a mound of the monster before popping and emerging. "I'm big, and I'm back!"
"It's zord time!" Conner called into his morpher. The Brachiozord stomped downtown before releasing the three main zords. "Ankylozord!" The stout dinozord stomped towards the Rangers, roaring before it attached to the Megazord.
"Take this." The monster crossed his arms before her, then opened them to blast at the Rangers.
They used the shield to block, sending them back to the monster. He stumbled back. "That did it!" Ethan called.
"Stupid Megazord!" The monster stomped away but got blocked by someone.
"Going somewhere?" Trent asked from his Megazord.
"Look, it's Trent!" Kira pointed out.
Trent used his specialty attack to send the monster to the ground. As soon as he stood up, the Rangers used their double drill attack to finish off the monster. That sent him up in smoke. "I'm out of here." The White Megazord stomped off.
"Trent!" Kira called.
The three Rangers rode back to the site of the meteorite. "All right, guys, lasers at full power," Conner ordered. The three broke the hill. They aimed their bike lasers, firing at the rock in the ground and shattering it. An explosion shook the ground. Rock pieces fell and flashed purple before stopping. "Power down," Conner called. Their morphs broke, and the three ran to the rocks.
Kira watched Ethan lift a chunk. "Think this will work?"
"The component should still have residual energy that should help Dr. O." Ethan rambled.
Conner blinked. "How do you know this?"
"It's called an education." Ethan joked.
"Okay, that was kind of brutal." Conner returned. He paused. "Hey, you sound like the old Ethan."
"Hey, I do." Ethan smiled.
Kira huffed a breath. "Okay, one more second at a shopping mall…."
"Let's get the rock back to the lab." Conner nodded. The three turned back.
—
The Guardians and Hunter chuckled when the three Rangers returned to the lab, dressed normally. "You guys feeling better?" Crystal asked, leaning on Hunter, who stood a step below her. She glanced at Lucy sitting in one of the rolling chairs.
Kira blew out a breath, chuckling. "More than better." She told them. "I feel like me."
Conner blinked, shaking his head. "All I know is, I never want to do that again."
Crystal chuckled. "It was a little terrifying."
"Really?" Ethan asked.
"Yeah, Conner was reading books," Lucy announced, earning laughs. "And Kira was shopping."
Crystal clicked her tongue. "I took a look in those bags, girl. What were you buying?" She asked, sending the Rangers into laughter again.
Kira awkwardly chuckled, scratching her head. "Honestly, I have no idea."
"I do have a question, though." Conner motioned to the two ninjas. "Why weren't you two exposed like us?"
"Ninjas are taught to show every side of themselves, even the parts we aren't happy with," Hunter answered.
The sisters glanced at each other. "I think it was more than that," Lucy spoke up.
"We think that the Guardian powers helped." Crystal continued. "To influence a Guardian, the powers must be strong enough to override our own powers. The meteorite registered as barely anything so the powers didn't react. But being a ninja also helped."
"Hey, since the meteor changed Trent to good, couldn't we use it to fight the effects of the dino gem?" Kira asked.
Hayley placed the rock in a machine, nodding. "That might work." She lifted the rock and the container up. "Let's try this first." She placed it into the machine.
"Come on, Hayley." Ethan cheered. The Rangers moved to where the Guardians and Hayley were standing.
Conner bumped shoulders with Lucy. She reached over, slipping her hand into Conner's. He squeezed her hand gently, and they watched Hayley turn the machine on. A bright purple beam hit Dr. Oliver's amber, slowly melting it. But the machine started to steam, and suddenly the device exploded.
Kira ripped the rock from the machine. "The rock!" She called, looking at the Rangers. "It's fried."
"Yeah, but look." Conner motioned to Dr. Oliver, standing in front of them.
"It worked!" Kira cried out.
The six moved to him. "Dr. O!" Conner smiled, squeezing Lucy's hand before releasing it.
"Good job, guys." Dr. Oliver nodded. He lifted his arms in front of himself. "Power down." He called. Nothing happened. "I said: power down." Dr. Oliver tried again. The Rangers exchanged uncertain looks. "I think we might have a problem." Dr. Oliver told them.
"Might?" Crystal asked. "More like we do."
Next Episode: Burning at Both Ends