It was approaching midnight at the Air Base and almost everyone had gone home for the night. There were still lights on in the Ranger control room though, occupied by two tired looking blondes. Major Earhardt had managed to secure a private helicopter ride from Turtle Cove which cut down travelling time but it was still an arduous journey. Military helicopters were built for practicality rather than comfort. She had specifically asked Mark, Harley and Rachel to stay behind but the black ranger had other ideas, disappearing without a trace almost immediately after her call. Mark left to track him down but so far hadn't had much success.
Rachel had stayed though, spending most of the evening fending off calls and emails from journalists and her manager. Despite the news breaking barely twelve hours ago, there were already blog pieces and YouTube videos analysing the footage and predicting the end of her career. After watching a particularly savage video, Rachel slammed her phone onto a desk and rubbed her eyes. She heard the faint noise of something sliding across the metal surface and was surprised to see the Major offering her a drink, "Thought you could use this," Taylor said.
"Thanks," Rachel sniffed it, whatever Major Earhardt had given her smelt strong, "maybe alcohol is the last thing I need right now," she carefully placed the mug back on the desk.
"Probably the wisest thing I've heard today," Taylor slowly lowered herself into a chair, "what happened?" she asked.
Rachel snorted, "I think you know what happened."
"Millions of people know what happened," Taylor grumbled, "but they don't know why it happened." The white ranger glanced away, breaking eye contact with the Major, "Maybe for the next few minutes think of me as Taylor Earhardt rather than Major Earhardt if that helps," she continued, "but either way, we need to resolve this as quickly as possible."
"Tell that to Harley," Rachel shook her head in frustration, "I keep trying to talk to him like a human but he keeps blowing me off." Changing her mind, she grabbed the mug and took a quick sip, "I know he's mad with me but doesn't this kinda prove me right?"
Taylor let out a deep sigh, "That you think he's an immature womaniser?"
Rachel nodded, "He's quite happy to rattle off a list of his latest conquests but the second another man tries to help me, he goes all caveman on them."
"I see," Taylor was beginning to piece everything together. Mark and Harley had been able to work together but they were unlikely to become best friends anytime soon.
"All Mark did was help me up after an attack," Rachel continued, "checked me out as we weren't morphed at the time, nothing he wouldn't do for the others. Next thing I know, Harley barges in like a jealous boyfriend and the two get into it," she took another sip from the mug, "you and millions of others around the world know what happened next."
Taylor bent her head forward, allowing her hair to cover her face. She had seen this coming but hoped those involved could work through their differences only for it to explode in her face. "It's lucky your identities weren't exposed," she began slowly, "and fortunate your cover story allows the argument to be framed as a disagreement between gym employees and their manager."
"Is that the story you want me to put out?" Rachel said sullenly.
"Yes because the truth paints all of you as immature children," Taylor snapped, "I know Harley can be petty and childish but you've been doing your fair share of sniping towards him." Rachel chewed her lip, a slight blush appeared on her cheeks, "Mark should also know who to defuse this situation without conflict but I see he got a few good hits on Harley when he had the chance."
Taylor reached into her desk and poured herself a drink, allowing Rachel the chance to respond, "What can I do to fix this?"
"Firstly, you and Harley need to have a proper conversion," Taylor said, "we'll decide on the next course of action after that."
Rachel nodded slowly, "I do like him," she said softly, "I'd be willing to give him a chance but not he can't act like this." She placed her mug back onto the desk, "It's not about my image or career or anything like that-"
"You just don't like men who turn everything into a wand measuring contest," Taylor interrupted the younger blonde, "sounds like my ex-husband when I first met him."
Rachel fiddled with the mug in her hands, "Did he grow out of it?" she asked, "I mean, he is your ex-husband for a reason."
Taylor smiled, "Eric and I were too similar," she began, "having two Alpha's in a relationship isn't a recipe for a long lasting relationship in my opinion." She paused before adding, "Communication is key, start on the right foot even if you end up starting nothing."
"All I need to do now is get him to listen," Rachel sighed, "men can be so thick headed sometimes."
"Now that I can drink to," Taylor offered her glass and Rachel clinked it with her mug, "something big and dangerous is coming for us," she continued, "I need you and Harley on the same page and quickly. I'm not exaggerating when I say the fate of the world depends on you two being able to stay in the same room as each other."
"No pressure then," Rachel said glumly, slumping into her chair and finishing her drink.
In the city, Mark was pushing his way through the crowd at Duality. It seemed busier than usual, the pool tables had been pushed back and most of the available floor area had been converted into a small stage. Currently the stage was empty with an acoustic guitar propped up against a chair. The red ranger scanned the crowd but to his surprise, he couldn't see Harley anywhere.
He waited at the bar, keeping half an eye on the crowd until it was his turn to order, "I'll just have a lemonade Horace," he said to the bartender.
"Last of the big spenders aren't you," Horace snorted, "won't find too many sober people at Open Mic night." Mark nodded politely, at least that explained the unusual floor arrangement for the night, "I assume you're looking for Harley," Horace added.
"Feels like all I do is chase him around these days," Mark sighed.
"Makes an old bartender wonder what you two are mixed up in," Horace grunted as he passed over Mark's drink, "then again as long as you two keep paying, I don't really care."
"You're a true patriot Horace," Mark replied but the sarcastic tone of his response flew over Horace's head.
Mark returned to surveying the room but didn't have to wait long until he spotted Harley. To his surprise the black ranger was walking onto the stage. Initially Mark thought he was setting up for the next act but to his surprise, Harley was the next performer, "I'm gonna try somethin' a little different tonight," the black ranger said into the microphone, "if it sucks, well you're just gonna have to wait." The audience murmured with laughter, even gave him a few encouraging cheers which made Mark wonder if he was a regular performer.
After test strumming the guitar a few times, Harley began to play a mournful sounding tune on the instrument. After repeating this a few times he began to sing, "Don't remember where I was when I realised life was a game." Mark openly gaped at the husky toned vocals from his fellow ranger, "The more seriously I took things, the harder the rules became."
Mark listened to Harley deliver the words, feeling the pain behind his delivery. Along with everyone else in the bar, he was mesmerised by the openness and simplicity of the performance, "A tout le monde, a tout mes amis, je vous aime, je dois partir. These are the last words I'll ever speak, they'll set me free." The red ranger heard that passage a few times and assumed it was the song's chorus.
When Harley's performance finished, he muttered a thank you into the microphone and walked off with his guitar. Mark gave the black ranger a round of applause, keeping his eyes on him to make sure he didn't lose him amongst the crowd. Harley stopped at the other end of the bar, surrounded by a small group of women, "Some things don't change," he muttered to himself.
He nudged his way through the tightly packed group of people until he was in Harley's line of sight, "Ah here he is," the black ranger announced proudly, "Captain Cockblock himself."
"Very funny," Mark said dryly, "we need to talk, preferably somewhere quiet."
Harley groaned before reluctantly calling over to Horace, "Using the back room Horace, won't take long." The bartender waived his hand dismissively which Mark took as a sign that he didn't care, "Excuse me ladies," the black ranger said to his entourage with a rogue grin, drawing a smattering of giggles from the woman and an eye roll from the red ranger.
Behind the bar was a small store room, dimly lit by an ancient lightbulb that flickered periodically. Harley perched himself on a crate of beers whilst Mark stood as far away from the black ranger as possible, "I'll keep this brief as I can see you're busy," Mark said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Harley rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest, "we need to clear the air if we're going to keep working together."
"Yeah that ain't gonna work for me," Harley snorted and unclipped his morpher, "I'm done with this costumed freak show, I quit," he slammed the morpher down on a beer keg.
Mark looked at the morpher for a few seconds then at Harley, his eye twitching when he caught the black ranger's eye. Finally he snatched the morpher up and put it in his pocket, "OK, enjoy the rest of your life Harley," he said flatly, turning and reaching for the door handle.
Before he could open the door Harley called out, "That's it? After preaching the virtues of teamwork, you're just going to let me walk away?"
Mark's shoulders sagged, "Harley," he groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I'm done, you made it clear from day one that you didn't want to be a Ranger but I thought with time, you'd come around."
"Yeah well, you thought wrong," Harley replied gruffly.
"I see that now," Mark began, "but then again this is typical of you, I think this is the longest you've stayed in one place so if being a Power Ranger wasn't keeping you here, I wonder what was?"
Harley's jaw tensed, "You don't know the first thing about me," he growled.
"No but I can guess," Mark hissed in response, "if you want to win Rachel over, you've got a funny way of showing it."
The black ranger's eyes flashed and stomped towards Mark but the red ranger anticipated this, striking Harley with a solid, open palmed strike to the chest, enough to slam Harley back into the beer crates and knock the wind out of his lungs.
As he struggled to catch his breath, Mark looked down on him with a sad expression, "Is this what you want from your life Harley? Running from city to city, hanging out in dingy spots like this?" The black ranger didn't respond, "You have a woman who, for some crazy reason, actually likes you and could want to build something special with you," his voice cracked as he finished his sentence. Mark composed himself before adding, "I had that with Adrienne and I'd give anything to have that again."
He left Harley on the floor but paused before opening the door, "I'll keep hold of this," he waived Harley morpher, "something powerful and dangerous is coming but I only want your help if you're willing to commit. I'd rather have the team one short than have them rely on you, think about that," he opened the door and slammed it shut, leaving a bruised and deflated Harley on the floor.
On the Vyglass ship, Count Trivium paced slowly around the pulsating egg containing Atropheous. Placing his gloved hand against the shell, he let out a small sigh of disappointment, "Still not ready," he grumbled.
"Problems?" the Count grimaced at the taunting voice of Prince Reise, "this would be the perfect time to attack the Rangers too, I've intercepted reports showing them fighting amongst themselves."
"Intercepted reports," Trivium snorted, "have you been watching trashy Earth television again?" Reise looked moderately ashamed, "For once though you are correct, this would be the perfect time to exploit their divisions."
"Is there nothing we can do to expedite the process?" Reise asked.
"An energy infusion perhaps," Trivium responded, "if we could siphon the life energy of someone sufficiently powerful, that could be enough to accelerate Atropheous's hatching."
"A Ranger maybe?" Reise suggested, "as the Earth saying goes, kill two bird with one stone."
Trivium's face twisted into a cold smile, "I'm impressed, have you been reading Villainy for Dummies again?"
"You forgot your place," Reise snapped, "you might be my Regent but I am still the Emperor of the Vyglass."
Trivium scowled but bowed reverently, "My apologies You Highness," he began, "I had thought of sacrificing a Power Ranger but their Avian power is too entrenched in light magic, it could corrupt Atropheous." He paused in thought for a moment, "Your dearly departed Mother told me that Atropheous was cast into another dimension by a Duke Org, someone with that power would do nicely. Maybe we should see if we they are still alive," he added coldly.
"Our research suggests the Orgs were destroyed by another team of Power Rangers years ago," Reise replied as he activated his wrist computer, "but let's just confirm."
"What are you doing to Atropheous," Trivium snapped as Reise raised his arm towards the egg.
"Relax," Reise waived the Count away, "there should be a trace of spell which I can use to track down any remaining Orgs." Trivium glared at the young Prince before allowing him to continue, "Interesting I'm getting two traces, one of which is an exact match for the magical signature left on Atropheous."
Trivium scratched his chin, "So the Org who chose to cast away Atropheous still lives, maybe we should pay them a visit."
"I'll tell Kane and Lena," Reise began to walk away.
"No, let's just keep this between the two of us," Trivium stopped the Prince, "with the power of Atropheous we have no need for monsters or other servants. Let's start this new era as we mean to continue," he added with a manic grin. Reise nodded in agreement but as the two hurried to leave the room, they failed to notice Princess Lena lurking in the shadows.
The next morning the Rangers, minus Harley, were lined up in the outdoor training area of the Air Base. Mark stood opposite Stevie, Ricky and a tired looking Rachel, "Why are we training outside today?" the blue ranger grumbled, "it's nearly a hundred degrees and it's barely ten o'clock."
"Endurance training," the red ranger replied simply, "the Vyglass won't wait until the sun goes down to launch an attack." Stevie muttered under her breath but the red ranger chose to ignore her, "We'll do a few laps of the field to warm up before breaking off into pairs to spar."
"Where's Harley?" Ricky asked, "he's not the most reliable but he's usually here by now."
"He won't be joining us today," Mark replied flatly, "Major Earhardt's is aware and he has his reasons but for now, it's just the four of us."
"Just for this session or for longer?" Stevie pressed the red ranger.
Mark sighed, "We're taking it one day at a time," he clapped his hands together, "now less talking, the quicker we finish the quicker we can go inside."
The four rangers completed a few laps of the open grass field with Stevie leading most of the way around. With their warm up completed, Mark paired off with Rachel, leaving Stevie to spar against Ricky. It didn't take long for Mark to realise the white ranger wasn't fully committed to the session, "Keep your arm up when blocking," he said, "otherwise it leaves you open for a counterpunch."
"Yeah sure," Rachel mumbled, she aimed a roundhouse kick at Mark but the red ranger ducked easily and took her off her feet with a sweep of his arm, "Damn it," she swore and punched the ground in frustration.
"Rachel you're better than this," Mark sighed, "you've heard the warnings from Major Earhardt, we need to be at our best and focus."
"We can't all lock up our feelings Mark," the white ranger spat. Mark froze, even Stevie and Ricky paused their match in surprise, "I'm sorry, that was out of order."
Mark sighed, shaking his head slowly, "Back to it you two," he called to the blue and yellow rangers, "nothing to see here," the pair looked hesitant but quickly resumed their spar. "Did that make you feel better?" he said to Rachel.
"Briefly," Rachel said honestly, "but now I feel like a total bitch." She got to her feet slowly, "Why's Harley not here and be honest," she asked.
"We decided it would be best if he took some time away to sort his head out," Mark said flatly.
Rachel snorted, "That doesn't sound like him," she replied with a frown, "maybe you decided it would be best if he didn't come back."
Mark stared at the white ranger for several seconds before answering, "He said he wasn't coming back and I agreed," Rachel glared at the red ranger, "You can't honestly say he's doing much for team unity," he added.
The white ranger clenched her fists and assumed a defensive guard. Mark stood unmoved until it became clear Rachel was serious about fighting him. He barely got his arms up in time to block a punch from the white ranger which was quickly followed by several more that the red ranger struggled to fend off, "Come on," Rachel snapped, "fight back, you owe me that."
Mark didn't respond, staying defensive and allowing Rachel to punch herself tired. He rolled underneath a spin kick aimed at his head, allowing him to slip behind the white ranger. He slipped one arm underneath her armpit, forcing her arm into the air. His other arm wrapped around her neck, loose enough not to cause any damage but tight enough to be uncomfortable, "This is why I keep control of my emotions," Mark began, "so I avoid making rash decisions."
Rachel struggled against his grip, "Yeah, well there's more than one way to win," the white ranger swung her leg back, catching Mark between the legs and forcing him to immediately release his grip, "Harley taught me that one," she smirked at the red ranger, "sometimes you do what it takes to win."
"Am I interrupting?" a distorted voice called, "isn't it my job to inflict pain on you Power Rangers," Lena smirked behind her mask.
Mark tried to give orders but he was bent over on the floor in pain, "Don't worry, we've got this," Ricky said to the fallen red ranger. The yellow ranger lined up with Stevie and Rachel on either side, the white ranger pausing to give Mark an apologetic look, "Jet Force, Take Flight," they called, morphing into action.
Calling on their Jet Swords, the trio charged towards the Princess, "Only three Rangers, I'm slightly disappointed," she chuckled.
"We really need to work on security," Stevie grunted whilst blocking Lena's blade, "first Trivium breaks in now Darth Vader."
"Can't help but notice you're by yourself," Rachel added, "have your friends abandoned you."
Lena snarled, "I don't need any help to defeat you," to prove her point she converted her weapon into whip mode. Charging the weapon with energy, she cracked the whip across the chests of the three rangers, propelling them across the grass. The Princess snorted, "Pathetic," her eyes lit up when she spotted the still fallen red ranger, "this day keeps getting better." She walked deliberately towards Mark, who was still kneeling face down, "Now this I will enjoy," she raised her blade ready to strike but Mark suddenly sprung upright.
With a small grin he unloaded several blasts from his Jet Blaster into the chest of Lena, sending her flying back several feet before landing on her back, "I know a few tricks of my own," he said with a grimace.
"Mark," Rachel scrambled to their leader, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to kick you so hard."
"Not apologising for the nut shot though," Stevie sniggered to herself.
"Anything to win right," Mark grinned through his pain, "maybe that's something we need to teach the Princess here." He tried to get to his feet supported by Stevie and Rachel but he quickly sunk back to his haunches, "Maybe I still need a minute," he grunted.
"Don't worry, we've got your back," Rachel said, "Jet Gauntlets everyone, let's send the Princess packing."
The white, yellow and blue rangers charged up their weapons just as Lena was getting to her feet. A simultaneous blow from the trio send the Princess flying through the air, landing close to the perimeter fence, "Oh yeah, take that Mrs Roboto," Stevie cheered as the body of Lena rolled across the grass. To their surprise and horror, she slowly tried to get to her feet, "How did that not destroy her?" she cried in shock.
"She's worse than a cockroach," Ricky added. Once Lena was on her feet they prepared for another attack but it never came, "What's she up to?"
The Princess slashed her sword through the metal chain link fence, squeezing through the gap, "I think she's running away," Rachel said as she powered down.
"Let her go," Mark called, finally back on his feet, "save ourselves for the battle to come."
"How did she get in though?" Stevie asked the group, "I didn't see a portal open up nearby."
"Must've snuck through," Mark's gaze fell on a portion of fence in the distance, "I thought they would've fixed that by now," he muttered.
"Something you want to share?" Ricky said to the red ranger.
"A few cadets managed to sneak on and off base through a gap in security," Mark replied, "but that was years ago and the breach was reported." He shook his head and shrugged "We should let Major Earhardt know, maybe the Vyglass are about to launch their attack." He took a few awkward steps towards the main building, "Maybe get some ice in the process," he winced.
"I really am sorry," Rachel began, "let me know if you need a hand," everyone frowned in her direction, "I meant a hand getting the ice, get your minds out the gutter," she grumbled as the others let out a small chuckle at her expense. Rachel allowed Stevie and Ricky to walk on ahead before grabbing Mark on the arm, "Is Harley really not coming back?" she asked
The red ranger sighed, reached into his pocket and showed Harley's morpher, "He told me he quit," he replied, "and I didn't stop him." He pocketed the morpher and continued, "I believe he will do the right thing, eventually."
"He's stubborn," Rachel shook her head, "we might not be around by then."
"I'm sure it won't come to that," Mark said hopefully. He pulled out the morpher again and placed it into Rachel's hand, "Maybe he needs someone else to talk to him." The white ranger didn't look sure, "You two need to talk eventually, think of this as an ice breaker," he turned and continued walking back to base, leaving a conflicted Rachel behind.
On the other side of the fence, Lena rested again a metal support. Her hand clutched her side as a few laboured breathes emitted from her mask. There was barely any time for her to recover as she found a blade pressed into the side of her neck, "Care to explain yourself?" Trivium asked flatly.
"I don't need to explain myself to you," Lena grunted, "you might prefer subterfuge in your attempts to destroy the Rangers but I prefer the direct approach."
Trivium slowly lowered his blade and a chuckle briefly escaped his lips. With devastating speed his hand clenched around her throat which slammed her head forcefully into the post, "You forget your place," she growled, "I gave you life and I can very easily take it away."
"I will be obsolete soon, isn't that what you said?" Lena managed to gasp, "Once Atropheous is born, you will have no need for minions."
"Eavesdropping isn't a personality trait I programmed into you," Trivium sniffed, "maybe you need a gentle reminder," his grip tightened and Lena's breath became laboured.
"Trivium, release her," suddenly Kane appeared through a portal, pointing his blade menacingly at Trivium, "now." Trivium's eyes flicked towards the cyborg and reluctantly released his grip. Lena's coughed hard but kept her blazing eyes fixed on the Count, "Are you alright Princess?" Kane asked.
Lena slowly regained her composure, straightening her posture as gracefully as she could. Without warning and with the speed of a striking snake, slugged Trivium hard across the face, "Lay a hand or any other body part on me again Trivium and I shall remove it from you," she said dangerously. "You have not won yet," she continued, "Atropheous is powerful but it is not indestructible."
"Do you have so little faith in Atropheous?" Trivium replied.
"I have little faith in the person pulling its strings," Lena sneered. She turned her attention to Kane, "I assume you have found our target?" Kane nodded slowly, "That's right, I found your missing Orgs before you did. Not bad for a couple of servants, is it Count?" Kane opened a portal and the Princess stepped through first. Trivium glared hatefully at the cyborg but followed the Princess through.
The group emerged inside an old warehouse and immediately heard a couple of voices in the distance. Lena stepped to one side and sarcastically gestured Trivium to go first, the Count begrudgingly accepted the invitation.
They paused behind a stack of boxes, their targets were talking and they didn't want to make their presence known yet, "Why are we here again?" Jindrax grumbled, "we did our bit, we informed the Rangers. Now we need to get as far away from the city as possible before."
"I can't explain it," Toxica began, "but something is telling me I have to be here." She paced the tight space between piles of crates, "You go, there's no need for you to risk your life."
"You know I can't do that," Jindrax said firmly, "we're in this together, until the end."
Trivium stepped out the shadow, a cold smile on his face, "Until the end," he began, "I like the sound of that. Perhaps we can make today your final day." He glanced over his shoulder, nervous for a few moments that his support wasn't going to help. He didn't show it but he was relieved when Lena and Kane emerged from their hiding place, "We don't need to fight," he continued, "we both want the destruction of the planet."
"You're about fifteen years too late buddy," Jindrax replied, "we took our shot and failed, now we're retired."
"A pity," Trivium sighed, "but not unexpected." He sword appeared in his hand with a crackle of energy, "We only want the woman," he pointed at Toxica, "step aside and we'll let you enjoy your retirement," he sneered.
Two blades snapped into Jindrax's hands, "That's not going to happen," he stood in front of Toxica protectively.
"Why must everyone resort to violence," Trivium sighed, "very well, if that's what you want." He tilted his head, a gesture aimed at Lena and Kane but neither of them moved, "That was your cue to attack," he grumbled.
"We found them for you," Lena muttered, "must we do everything for you?" Trivium snarled, an energy ball forming in his hand, "I will take that as a yes," she added. Her whip cracked towards Toxica staff but Jindrax intercepted, the Orgs grunting in pain from the impact.
The brief opening allowed Kane to jump in, bringing his heavy sword down towards Jindrax. The Master of the Blades lived up to his name, swatting the weapon away and attacking with his other blade. Kane dodge with speed unexpected from his large frame and tried to get on behind the Org, "We only need to capture the other one," Trivium called over the sounds of battle.
"You could help us rather than standing around," Lena snapped back, now with sword in hand she was trying to resist a deadly thrust from Jindrax.
Toxica used the bickering amongst the Vyglass to fire magical bursts from her staff. Kane and Lena rolled out the way, the magical energy exploding against the crates and metal frames. Showers of sparks rained down on the Vyglass and a couple of lights exploded, plunging the room further into the gloom.
Trivium finally decided to take part in the battle, throwing energy balls at the Orgs which stopped them from attacking further, "Come on, we should get out of here whilst we can," Toxica turned towards the door behind them, only to find it blocked by Prince Reise, "Out of the way kid," she aimed her staff in his direction.
Reise responded with a swish of his arm which generated an energy pulse from his gauntlet. The surprise of his action was enough to knock Toxica's staff from her grasp, it tumbled into the shadows with a loud clang. In the same motion he discharged a bolt of lightning from his gauntlet straight into Jindrax. The Org's limbs twitched, forcing him to drop his weapons before he crumpled to the ground, "Jindrax!" Toxica cried desperately.
"I think your resistance has gone on long enough," Trivium smirked, pushing his blade dangerously close to Toxica's neck.
Toxica slowly raised her hands, "What do you want from me?"
"You are going to bring about the birth of Atropheous and the destruction of Earth," Trivium said calmly. Toxica glanced quickly around the room, she was without her staff and all possible exits blocked, "In case you're thinking of running I wouldn't bother, my plan doesn't need you to be alive."
With no other option, the Duke Org let out a resigned sigh, "Fine I'll come with you on one condition," Trivium raised a quizzical eyebrow, "let Jindrax go."
The Count looked at the fallen Jindrax, "You really care for each other don't you," he snorted, "a weakness that has led you both to your doom." He paused before continue, "Fine but this is merely a stay of execution. Once Atropheous is born he will die with the rest of humanity."
Reise opened a portal and Trivium roughly pushed Toxica through. The count turned to Lena and Kane, "Finish this disgusting creature," he pointed at Jindrax before following through the portal.
Lena clenched her fist as she watched Trivium depart, "Who does he think he is?" she spat, "This plan is going to backfire and when it does, I will laugh in his face." Kane nodded slowly but didn't say anything, "Let's just deal with the Org and get it over with," she pulled out her sword and glanced to the floor, "where is he?" Jindrax was nowhere to be seen.
"I do not know," Kane replied looking around the room, "he is not showing on an infrared scan either."
"Can this day get any worse," Lena groaned, "he can't have gone far. Burn the entire building down, there's no way he'll be able to escape in time." Kane did as instructed and soon the warehouse was a blazing inferno. The Vyglass pair didn't stay around long enough to see a shadow limping through the darkness away from the fire, dragging something long and heavy behind them.