Trial by Fire

Trial by Fire is the fortieth episode of Power Rangers: Lost Ninjas.

Summary
Jess struggles under Zart's "instruction," Wyatt and Micky make their way to her, and Tauza secretly finds some new allies.

Last time we saw the Earthlight Rangers
Zart had kidnapped Jess with the intent of turning her into his student, and informed her that he'd killed Wyatt and Micky. However, those two had survived the hotel fire and begun searching for Jess. Xumara's reaction to Zart's success prompted Korassil to confront her and discover her plot against Lothor. He allowed Zart to apparently kill her, but when a distraught Tauza arrived, her sister was still alive, barely. Tauza swore revenge—and already had an idea for how to get it.

March 1st, Tarpon Swamp, Belize, 9:14 am
As soon as Zart materialized in the swamp, the smell of smoke filled his nostrils. He turned and saw Jess, her clothes considerably more scorched than they had been, trying to burn away one of the chains. The tree and surrounding plants were black and shriveled. Zart's delighted laughter made Jess jump.

When she looked up at him, her expression was resigned. "Let's get it over with."

"So you consent to become my pupil?"

"Looks like I don't have a choice."

"No, you don't," Zart replied. He snapped his fingers, and Jess teleported out of her chains, materializing beside him.

Jess was soaked, her clothes almost black with mud, and leeches clung to her legs. With a few gestures, Zart zapped each with fire, and it shriveled up and fell off. Jess didn't so much as flinch, just waited silently for him to finish.

"You already know how to create fire; your first lesson will be directing it," Zart said. "Hold your right hand up like this." He raised his own hand, palm down and fingers curled in. Jess mimicked the gesture. "You snap the wrist forward, so, in the direction you want the fire to go."

Zart demonstrated, sending a ribbon of fire into a clump of rushes. They ignited and began to crackle. Drawing in a breath, Jess spat a flame and gestured, hand raised almost to head height. Immediately she yelped in pain and jerked her arm back, clutching her wrist. The fire dropped into the water and fizzled out.

"What was that?"

"I burned my hand." The ball of her thumb was already lobster-pink.

With an exasperated growl, Zart smacked Jess across the face. "Don't be such a baby. Try again." Jess hesitated. "What's the matter? Scared? I thought you were supposed to be a Fire Ninja. Do it again before I show you what a real burn feels like."

Swallowing hard, Jess raised her hand and tried again. The fire just went the way she spat it, fizzling out in the mud. Rolling his eyes, Zart stepped back and leaned against a tree.

"Again."

March 2nd, Scout Ship, 2:51 am
Tauza sat in the cockpit of the one-man vessel, listening as the Thinker outlined their latest plan from his ship. She glanced around at the other screens. Zart looked bored out of his mind, fidgeting constantly and flicking sparks around. The rest listened with varying levels of attentiveness, though Alex kept looking at Tauza, then glancing away guiltily when she made eye contact. He was the only Ranger present.

"Tauza," Lothor said, snapping her back into reality, "have anything to add? You're the one actually with Mr. Water Demon, after all."

She sat up. "Sir. Chiratheon has been preparing this plot for thirteen years, and it seems to be working so far. I think he will be a valuable ally."

"I don't," Zart interrupted. "If he's powerful enough to get some kind of super-special Ethereal Ninja trap, why would he obey us?"

"He won't. We've made an alliance," Tauza replied. "Though once our goals no longer align I doubt he will be particularly effective against our full armada."

Lothor nodded thoughtfully. "You've got a point there." Zart still looked grumpy, but didn't say anything else. "Okay, great, anything else from Kiwi land?"

"It's not an immediate issue, but I suspect Dean may be a traitor," the Thinker said.

Lothor rolled his eyes. "Well, duh, otherwise he wouldn't be working for us, would he?"

"Ever since he stumbled across that café girl he's been acting different. He leaves the ship at odd hours, claiming he's going to collect supplies for his poisons, he's not fighting nearly as hard, and I suspect he may have done something to sabotage my deathtrap. He seemed to disapprove of it."

"You're not just saying that because you're sore the deathtrap didn't work?" Lothor teased.

The Thinker glared. "Positive. I'm having my comm staff hack into the Yellow Ranger's hospital records to confirm it."

"A test of his loyalty might not go amiss in any case," Tauza put in.

"Good, you do that," Lothor said. "Korassil?"

"With Zart training the Pink Ranger, I have focused all of my powers on making certain the Crimson Ranger, and any other potential risks, are annihilated," Korassil said.

"Wait—the dumb blond survived?" Zart demanded. He pouted. "That's not fair!"

"Sounds fine," Lothor said, ignoring Zart. "Is that all?" Nobody said anything. "Okay, then, have fun."

Tauza deactivated the screens, and the machinery powered down. She slipped out of the chair and opened the ship's hatch. Everything had gone off without a hitch.

Climbing out of her ship, Tauza crossed the wide, mostly empty chamber of an old mine. She didn't know what anyone would have been mining on an asteroid this bare, but it had been recent; everything still worked. Then again, the mine's new inhabitants wouldn't have had trouble maintaining the life support. She entered the main control room.

There was one table in the room, and behind it sat a large black bear. His toga, sandals and thorny wreath gave him the look of a Roman emperor, even with his cybernetic bronze paw. Golden eyes fixed on Tauza, he didn't move as she took a seat on the far side of the table.

"Amorphous?" The bear monster said at last. His voice was deep and booming.

Tauza's crown went limp and dropped off her head, transforming and changing color as it fell. On the floor, it grew into a multicolored amoeba the size of a small child.

"She didn't give us away," the creature said, in a feminine-sounding voice. "I'll need more time to study that Thinker guy, though. He's got these tricky, subtle mannerisms, plus that accent."

"Our records should give you what you need," Tauza said, with a wave of her hand. She focused on the bear. "Major Jambavan, you've seen that I have no interest in betraying you. What do you have to say about my offer?"

Jambavan was silent. He tapped the table with one bronze claw. Amorphous slithered around behind him and waited expectantly. In the silence, Tauza could hear the faint sound of machinery nearby.

"I welcome the chance to take back my fleet from Lothor, and that fool Korassil."

"Don't forget," Tauza interrupted, "Korassil is mine. Mine and Xumara's."

Jambavan chuckled slightly. "Understood."

The door opened, and a bulky silver robot looked in. At the sight of him, Tauza stood up, expression softening slightly.

"How is she?"

"I've completed the upgrades. She's asleep now," the robot replied.

"May I see her?" In response, the robot stepped back to make room. Tauza faced Jambavan, businesslike once more. "With the Thinker and other untrustworthy creatures aboard my ship, I cannot bring you immediately. I will contact you when the opportune moment arises."

"Fair enough. You may go," Major Jambavan said.

Inclining her head, Tauza followed the robot out.

La Union, Quintana Roo, Mexico-Belize Border, 1:23 pm
Micky and Wyatt sat in the back of an empty bus in an abandoned-looking vehicle lot, looking over a large map Micky had spread across the seat. Even though the sun blazed through the windows, it was cold enough for them to see their breath.

"The guy said it was a swamp," Wyatt said, rubbing an eye with one fist. He, like Micky, had dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep. "Fire, smoke, weird noises that nobody wants to check out. Think it started with an 'R.'"

"Not a lot of swamps around here. R . . . Rodrigo?" Micky guessed, scanning the map.

Wyatt snapped his fingers. "Tarpon, that was it!"

"It's southwest of here—that way," Micky amended, pointing to his right. "Probably a couple of hours depending on how fast and straight we can go."

A massive boom interrupted the pair, and both teenagers jumped and looked around. A fireball lit up the parking lot, knocking over empty buses like dominoes. Wyatt scrambled to the other side of the bus, and Micky ducked between rows with a groan of "not again."

"Hey, quit that!" A screechy voice rang out. "How am I supposed to tell if you got them if the explosion vaporizes anything it touches?"

"When I get my claws on those brats . . . I'll check the other side of the lot, you check those over there, Macabrester can take these ones."

Footsteps rasped on the pavement, getting closer and closer. Wyatt flexed his fingers. He pantomimed for Micky to get under a seat, and he obeyed wordlessly. Surging to his feet, Wyatt smashed through the window with his elbow and bashed the oncoming monster across the head with a hammer fist. Macabrester went down.

"We're ninja-streaking out of here—get outside!" Wyatt yelled.

"Are you crazy?" Micky screamed back, as Macabrester clawed at Wyatt through the window.

At that moment, bladed tonfas smashed through the window behind Micky. Kelzak Berserks began pushing on the sides of the bus, trying to tip it over. Changing his mind, Micky scrambled out, trying to avoid the broken glass as he headed for the door.

Wyatt seized the sill and shot out the window feet-first, kicking Macabrester in the face. Landing in a crouch, he grabbed Macabrester's throat and tried to snap his neck. Easily, the monster caught him by the shirt and threw him over its head. He hit the ground and was up a second later, running for Micky.

Shaking off a Kelzak Berserk, Micky lunged and seized Wyatt around the neck. The Ranger scooped him up and shot away through the parking lot, zigzagging around vehicles. Shouting and shooting, the monsters followed.

Tarpon Swamp, 5:44 pm
Jess stood in the middle of a circle of scorched earth, chest heaving. Her hands hung at her sides, covered with shiny red blisters. More burns and bruises dotted her body, visible through holes in her clothes. Zart paced around her, arms folded.

"You are pathetic. Unbelievably, absolutely pathetic. You can't direct fire, you can't absorb it, you can't manipulate its strength or heat, you can't give it life. All you can do is puke it out and hope it goes where you want it to. I could do better when I was five. And you say you were actually chosen above everyone else in your school for this job? No wonder I took them down so easily."

"I can't."

Zart struck her across the face, snapping her head to the side. "Stop whining."

"But I can't! It is not physically possible for me to do what you can!" Jess almost screamed. "Why can't you see that?"

Grabbing a handful of her hair, Zart dragged her forward so they almost bumped noses. "I don't care what you think you can or can't do. You'll learn how to control fire or die trying. Got it?"

That said, he shoved her away; she lost her balance and sat down hard. Turning, he saw Korassil appear through the trees, and headed to meet him. He and Jess both knew she wouldn't run; she'd tried a few times already, and he'd made her regret it.

"I think I'm getting through," Zart said, as he reached the general.

Korassil hmphed. "Even if she learns, what's to stop her from turning on you? I would if I were her and being treated this way."

"It's all part of the plan," Zart replied, waving a hand.

"Explain."

"I got the idea from my father. He blamed me because Mother died giving birth to me. Everything I'm doing to Jess? That was him on a good day. If not for him I'd never have discovered how much I love fire and destruction. I'm just doing the same for her. Besides, if she becomes a threat to me, I've got you."

Korassil said nothing. With a shrug, Zart started to lean against a tree, only to hear a ribbit from a nearby clump of long grass. Perking up, he headed that way, rolling up his sleeves and muttering something about his next lesson.

In the middle of the burnt-out clearing, Jess heard a faint rustle in the trees behind her, and glanced around, curious. Most of the animals had fled long ago. Something pale moved in the foliage, and there was a sound almost like rustling leaves—but fiercer and more chattery. Turning, Jess looked closer, brow furrowed.

After a moment, a shout rang out from among the trees. "Earthlight Storm, Ranger Form!"

With a scarlet flash, Wyatt shot into the clearing, landing in a fighting stance in front of Jess. Zart, who'd just caught the frog, spun around and dropped it. Korassil drew his sword.

"You can probably run now, Jess," Wyatt said.

Jess was gaping, eyes wide. At last she managed a hoarse "Wyatt?"

He waved. "Hello."

"Look out!"

Wyatt moved a second too late; Zart's fireball struck his side, knocking him down. Rolling over, he sprang to his feet, gripping his Magma Knuckles. He glanced back at Jess, who still sat on the ground.

"Um, can you run now? Because I don't really think I can take these guys."

"Trust me, you can't," Korassil said, and charged.

Wyatt tried to sidestep away from Korassil, but the warlord moved with him and delivered a downward stroke that he only just caught on his Magma Knuckles. The blow jolted all the way down his arms, and he gave ground.

Jess finally moved, surging to her feet and running for the trees. Zart ran after her, hands glowing with fire. Crashing through the branches, she almost ran headlong into Micky.

"Good—quick, ninja-streak us outta here," he said, grabbing her.

"I-I don't think I can."

Micky froze. "What?"

Zart's hand reached through the foliage and clamped down on Micky's arm. "Gotcha."

He jerked Micky away from Jess, dragging him back to the clearing. Micky screamed and struggled as Zart threw him down and studied him, stroking his chin. The teenager tried to wriggle away, but Zart planted a foot on his back.

"You're that little brat who's been leeching off the Rangers," he said. "They might actually thank me for this."

Near the trees, Wyatt struggled to hold his own against Korassil. He fell for a feint, and staggered as Korassil's sword struck his side, drawing sparks. Impassive, the general continued his attacks, one after the other so rapidly that they flowed together. Wyatt's blocks and ducks grew slower and slower. At last, Korassil swept his legs out from under him, flipping him on his back. The tip of his sword touched Wyatt's throat.

"No, please, I'm just a kid, I can't do anything to you," Micky begged, as Zart gathered fire in both palms.

"I know," Zart replied diffidently. "You'll still make a pretty bonfire."

As he raised his arms, the flames abruptly shot to the left, away from his hands. Zart spun around in time to see Jess suck the fire into her mouth and spit it back out at him. The fireball struck him in the chest, knocking him down. Scrambling to his feet, Micky ran for it, as fast as his legs could carry him.

Jess whirled towards Korassil, hauled back and breathed a long stream of fire at him through pursed lips—it was almost a whip, white-hot and blinding. With a crackle, it scored a glowing gash across his chest armor, right through the gold crescent symbol. The impact flung him into a tree.

An incredulous giggle rang out from Zart's direction. Jess spun around to see him sit up, laughing. He looked absolutely delighted.

"That's it! Why didn't I think of this earlier? You're such a predictable little goody-good; you'd do anything to save your friends."

"You shut up!" Jess yelled at him.

Zart couldn't keep himself from grinning. "I knew I'd get through to you."

Sitting up, Korassil spoke into his helmet communicator. "Teleport us aboard, now—all of us." He glanced down at Wyatt. "You may be more useful alive after all."

Wyatt sprang to his feet, and Jess lunged for Korassil, but it was too late. Everyone froze in place as the ship's sensors locked on, teleporting them out of the swamp.

Allies

 * Micky Shell

Villains

 * Zart
 * Korassil
 * Major Jambavan
 * Kelzak Berserks
 * Macabrester
 * Lothor (Lost Ninjas)
 * Spymaster Amorphous
 * Brigadier Chubouzu
 * Madam Yuki