Long-Lost Siblings

Long-Lost Siblings is the twenty-seventh episode of Power Rangers: Lost Ninjas.

Last time we saw the Season Ninjas
Sienna, who'd woken up in the hospital, nearly attacked Anya thinking she'd turned on them. Tyler asked her for help, but only got a tip that Sienna, alone and helpless, would make a good target. He hurried back in time to get frozen by the real monster, which Anya (who didn't like being framed) and Anya fought off.

February 16th, Persephone Café, Scrimshaw, 5:30 pm
"You don't like cupcakes?" Sienna asked incredulously.

Alice, standing behind the counter, shook her head. Turning, she clipped an order next to the others in front of the kitchen window, so her uncle could see it. Mrs. Parata—Sienna's foster mother—moved to the side, leading Sienna and one of the younger boys out of the way. There weren't any customers behind them, though, so Alice continued the conversation.

"They're pointless substitutes for cake."

"But they're all the same size, and they don't crumble the way cake slices do."

"Trust me, cupcakes are every bit as crumbly. Plus everyone thinks they're so cute, it gets on my nerves," Alice replied.

Sienna sighed. "Too mainstream for you, huh?"

"No, I just don't see what all the fuss is about."

"Alice!" Her uncle shouted, and the redhead ducked into the kitchen. As they waited, Sienna crouched down to the foster boy's level—about her waist height. Like Mrs. Parata, he was Maori, with black hair and dusky skin.

"What do you think, Jonah?" Sienna asked, looking around the café. The younger boy pointed to a brightly-colored mural on one wall, and Sienna grinned. "Yeah, I thought you'd like that, since you're an artist and all."

Jonah looked up at her in surprise. "I noticed you drawing in the treehouse. Don't worry, I didn't peek—but if you'd ever like to show anyone what you drew, I'd love to see it."

Jonah looked down at his sneakers, not saying anything. Sienna stood. Well, it was something, she thought. However, at that point, her morpher let out a weird little blip. Clamping a hand over it, Sienna looked around in quiet alarm. The place was pretty empty, so she moved over to a quiet corner.

"Tyler?" She whispered.

"That Ranger who tried to kill us on the hike is back."

Sienna groaned. "Coming." Hurrying back to her foster family, she thought up a hasty excuse. "I almost forgot to tell you guys, Tyler offered to help me catch up on homework tonight, I was going to go over to his house to do it."

Mrs. Parata quirked an eyebrow. "Tyler again?"

"I'm already late," Sienna said. "Please? Please?"

Mrs. Parata laughed. "It's fine—so long as you do some actual homework."

Sienna beamed, and hugged her foster mother. "Thanks, Whaea!" Mrs. Parata preferred the Maori word—it could mean either aunt or mother, so it worked for most kids. Turning, she darted out the front doors.

Manticore Studio Lot #4, 5:53 pm
Anya slammed into a tree of studio lights, taking them down with a loud crash and showers of sparks. Spider Drones advanced on her, lasers blazing, but she rolled away and flipped herself upright. With a breathless laugh, she ran towards the foot soldiers, katana in one hand and the other glowing with icy energy.

"They're not real spiders, they're not real spiders, they're not real spiders," Sienna chanted under her breath, stabbing one of the things between plates on its back. Bright blue liquid spurted from the gash, covering Sienna's visor. With a yelp, she recoiled, swiping at the ooze. While she was blinded, several lasers struck her body, drawing sparks and smoke and flinging her to the ground.

"Sienna!" Tyler shouted, momentarily ceasing fire.

The Red Ranger took advantage of his distraction, and raising his blowgun, fired a volley of darts at Tyler. He heard them and ducked, but several still struck his back. Limping at a run, he stopped behind a wooden crate and kept shooting—one Autumn Blaster aimed at the Ranger, the other at the Spider Drones attacking his teammates.

"Don't mess with these ones, they're mine!" Anya shouted, stabbing a Spider Drone right through the body. Ice crackled around her blade and fixed the foot soldier in place. One good tug, and she freed her sword, shattering the Spider Drone at the same time.

"Got it!"

Setting aside his blowgun, the Red Ranger raised a hand towards Tyler. A torrent of boiling water shot from his palm. Seeing it, Tyler scrambled for new cover, but not quite in time. The geyser slammed into him, sending him skidding across the studio lot.

A Spider Drone loomed over Sienna, lasers warming up. With a yell, Sienna kicked straight up, knocking the foot soldier off-balance. Before it could recover, she rolled and pinned it with a leg.

"Solar Slash!" The golden energy made the Spider Drone explode, sending Sienna back several yards.

As she picked herself up, however, a flicker of moment distracted her from the fight. The Yellow Ranger looked more closely. Her eyes widened under her visor: Jonah was hiding on the edge of the battlefield, watching them. Hearing another Spider Drone clink behind her, Sienna whirled and avoided another blast in the nick of time.

More and more Spider Drones swarmed around Anya. Even though she was fast, she couldn't keep up her momentum forever. Some of the foot soldiers' blasts got through her defenses. One strike to her side made her double over with a muttered curse: it was the same place she'd been hit last time she'd faced these things.

As she staggered back, falling into a pile of balsa crates, Jonah abandoned his hiding place and ran over to her. He started trying to help her up, but she swatted him away, visibly confused. Sienna saw his mouth moving, but the noise of the battle drowned him out. Confused-and worried for him-Sienna started pushing through the monsters, trying to reach the pair.

On the other side of the lot, the geyser finally let up. Tyler lay where he was, panting. Silently, the Red Ranger advanced on him.

"Guys," Tyler managed, pushing himself up on an elbow.

Leapfrogging over another Spider Drone, Sienna landed next to Anya just as the White Ranger opened her visor. She bent down at Jonah's level so he could get a good look. Sienna skidded to a halt, more confused than ever.

"I. Am. Not. Your. Sister!" Jonah flinched as if he'd been slapped. Anya pointed away from the battlefield. "Now get out of here!"

Jonah obeyed, running out of the lot.

"What was that about?" Sienna asked, as Anya shut her visor again.

"Do you want to stand here talking or go help Tyler?" The White Ranger retorted. Not waiting for an answer, she ran off. Realizing what she meant, Sienna charged the Red Ranger.

As the evil Ranger raised his blowgun, aiming at point-blank range, ice formed around the muzzle. Irritated, the Red Ranger gestured at it. As it steamed away, Sienna slammed feet-first into the Ranger from behind, sending him sprawling. The blowgun fell out of his hands, and Anya snatched it up.

As the Red Ranger stood, he teleported away, as did what was left of the Spider Drones. Anya let out a noise of disappointment as the blowgun vanished with its owner. Silence fell over the lot, broken only by faint fizzling from broken floodlights. Catching her breath, Sienna dismissed her daggers and ran to help Tyler up.

"You guys okay?" The Orange Ranger panted.

"Pretty much." Sienna looked in the direction Jonah had run. Anya turned to leave, and the Yellow Ranger noticed. "Hey! I still want to know what was going on between you and Jonah!"

"Ask the kid, I'm out of here," Anya retorted.

Once Tyler was steady, Sienna let go and walked up to Anya. She powered down. "Jonah's been with the Paratas for almost a month, and he barely talks to anyone."

Anya snorted. "Funny. He wouldn't shut up with me."

Seizing Anya by the shoulder, Sienna went to spin her around, but Anya caught her wrist and twisted. It threw Sienna to one knee, but she stifled a grunt of pain.

"Honestly, that was kind of the weirdest thing that's happened to me," Anya said, in a surprisingly thoughtful tone. "The kid was trying to help me up, and he called me Magda. That name mean anything to you?"

"His older sister," Sienna replied tightly. She wrenched herself free and stood up, backing out of Anya's reach. "She basically raised him, until she got hit by a car a month ago."

"I guess that explains the stuff he said about faking my own death."

"What?" Tyler finally joined them. He demorphed as well, and caught himself on a wall. Bruises already darkened on his face and arms. Sienna immediately slid under his shoulder to support him, though she never took her eyes off Anya.

"I think he was trying to adopt me or something," Anya said, and laughed. Sienna went to hit her again, but Anya dodged. "Wow, you are touchy today. I'm out of here."

With that, the White Ranger ninja-streaked away. Sienna almost went after her, but Tyler lost his balance and she had to stop.

"Are you okay?" She asked him.

Tyler nodded. "I think I'll live."

"I need to go find Jonah."

115 Mistview Drive, 6:20 pm
"Jonah?" Sienna knocked on the door. Beside her, Travis—one of the other foster kids—hovered anxiously. There was no reply from the boys' room.

"Come on, Jonah, unlock the door, I left my water pistol in there and I'm missing Calvinball!" Travis called.

"Hush, you," Sienna told him. "Jonah, what's wrong?" Still no answer. Sienna sighed. "Jonah, I'm going to have to come in there whether you like it or not. Please let me in. I want to help."

After a full minute of silence, Sienna stood on tiptoe and pulled a key off the door mantel. No sooner did she unlock it than Travis shot inside, digging through his things for the water pistol. Shaking her head, Sienna walked into the room. At first she didn't even see Jonah—then she noticed that the closet door was ajar.

As Travis raced out of the room, Sienna walked to the closet. Now that everything was quiet, she could hear the sound of tearing paper. Poking her head through the hanging clothes, she saw Jonah sitting in the middle of a pile of shredded paper, industriously tearing up a drawing of the White Ranger. Noticing her, he spun around, crumpling the sheet. His face was tear-streaked.

Sienna sat down, completely blanking on what to say. All she knew was that she owed Anya a punch in the face.

"Go away," Jonah said at last.

Sienna sighed. "Want any help?"

Jonah shook his head, turning away.

"I get it, okay?" Sienna said. Jonah paused. "My parents abandoned me when I was a baby. Knowing they'd done it to protect me while they saved the world would be awesome."

"But it's not true. She's not Magda," Jonah said.

Sienna bit her lip. "She's not the only Ranger on the team."

Jonah rolled his eyes. "Orange is a guy, and Yellow's lame."

"What?"

Before Jonah could reply, a hand clamped down on Sienna's shoulder. She looked down, and saw a dark red glove. As she grabbed at it, its owner swung her around and hurled her against the far wall. She cracked the wood, bit her tongue and crumpled, half-stunned.

The Red Ranger reached into the closet and dragged Jonah out. Torn paper flew everywhere. In spite of Jonah's struggles, the Red Ranger threw him over his shoulder. Sienna tried to get up, but she was too dizzy. Tasting blood in her mouth, she watched helplessly as the evil Ranger teleported away with Jonah.

Manticore Studio Lot #4, 6:44 pm
Jonah sat in the middle of the empty lot, hands and feet tied with scratchy rope. The Red Ranger's Zord, a massive Copperhead Snake, coiled around him in a massive spiral. Its driver leaned against its hull, fingering his blowgun.

Something clanged on the Zord's hull, making Jonah jump. The Red Ranger straightened, and squinted towards the noise. As Jonah tried to see, the Ranger strode up to him. Grabbing the back of his shirt, the bad guy dragged him upright.

"I know you're out there?" He shouted. "Come out where I can see you or else."

Jonah shifted a little: the rope was rubbing his wrist, and it was annoying. The Red Ranger didn't seem to care.

Footsteps pattered on the Zord's hull, and the Yellow Ranger hopped over its body, landing in a crouch. She held up her hands to show she was unarmed.

"Give me your morpher and you can have him," the Red Ranger said.

The Yellow Ranger shook her head. "How do I know you won't just crush or vaporize us if I hand it over?"

"You don't."

"Well, okay then." The Yellow Ranger snapped her fingers, and Jonah heard something behind him. The Red Ranger whirled and hit the ground, dragging Jonah down with him. A frozen Spider Drone slammed into the pavement where they'd been standing, sending splinters of icy metal in every direction.

The Red Ranger scrambled back to his feet, only to see an orange gun materialize apparently out of thin air. It fired, hurling him to the ground. Before he could recover, a wave of ice overtook him, freezing his legs in place. The Penguinzord swooped overhead and opened its beak, firing a volley of icy projectiles at the lot. Still tied up, Jonah couldn't get away, so he shut his eyes and hoped it wouldn't hurt too much.

To his surprise, the next thing Jonah felt wasn't ice or lasers, but arms wrapping around him. He opened his eyes just as the Yellow Ranger somersaulted, flipping both of them out of the way. The ice blast hit the ground and exploded, sending blue flames and shards of ice flying. More missiles struck all around them, and throwing Jonah flat, the Yellow Ranger shielded him with her body.

There was a loud rumble, and the Copperhead Snakezord began to move. The Red Ranger had made it to the cockpit. As the Penguinzord's volley ended, the Yellow Ranger summoned a Sunbeam Dagger. She sliced through Jonah's bonds with shaking hands.

". . . Magda?" He asked.

The Yellow Ranger put a hand on his shoulder. The ice shards had sliced through her glove, and her hand bled. "Careful. Secret identity, remember?"

Jonah hugged her. Picking him up, the Yellow Ranger zipped out of the battlefield almost too quickly to see, setting him in a tree. She started to back up, but Jonah grabbed at her.

"Please stay," he begged. "Let the other Rangers fight. You're hurt."

"It's nothing," the Yellow Ranger replied. Jonah wouldn't let go. With a sigh, she put a hand on his face. "I wish I could stay, and not just for right now. But you're in enough danger as it is."

Jonah nodded slowly, although he wanted to keep arguing. In the distance, the Copperhead Snakezord wound around the Foxzord, trying to bite through its hull. The crashing and screeching metal carried through the lot.

"This is never going to happen again, I promise you," the Yellow Ranger said. "I'll be keeping an eye on you from now on, okay? I'll visit too, when I can."

Jonah managed a smile. Another crash carried from the battlefield: the Copperhead Snakezord had tangled the Fox's legs and made it fall over.

"Go teach that Orange guy how to pilot a Zord the right way," Jonah said, grinning.

Backing up a step, the Yellow Ranger saluted him. "Yes sir!" With that, she ninja-streaked away.

A shadow passed overhead, and the Kiwizord appeared. Jonah just glimpsed a yellow flash as the Yellow Ranger teleported inside. As Jonah watched, gripping the tree branches with white knuckles, the three Season Zords combined into the Megazord—the Iguana joining them at the very last second. It landed with a boom that made the trees all quiver.

Picking itself up, the Copperhead Snakezord began to slither away, towards the city. The Megazord began to follow, stepping delicately to avoid the surviving trailers and sets scattered around the studio lots.

"Come back!" Jonah protested. He wanted to see how the fight ended—hopefully with the Megazord tying the Copperhead Snakezord into a knot.

As it reached the edge of the city, the Megazord raised one leg high, and brought it down with a thud. Getting up, Jonah climbed higher in the tree, trying to get a better look. He could just make out the Snakezord writhing under the Megazord's boot. Raising its free hand, the Megazord snatched a pike out of the air, whirled and stabbed it straight down.

Jonah couldn't see the impact, but he did see the fireballs and smoke, and heard the distant boom. He whooped and almost fell out of the tree. Catching himself, he watched as the Megazord stepped back and struck a pose in front of the biggest, final explosion.

Persephone Café, 7:30 pm
The all-clear alarms were still wailing as Alice opened the basement door. The kitchen looked okay, but she could smell smoke. Bracing herself for the worst, Alice turned towards the front of the café. She let out a loud groan. The front windows were broken. Again. Debris had also taken out a couple of the tables.

Carrying a broom and a bucket, Alice trudged towards the mess. As she tried to think of something they could put up instead of highly breakable plate glass windows, she heard some of the debris groan.

Dropping broom and bucket, Alice darted over to the source of the noise. Pulling aside chunks of broken table and twisted—and still very hot—metal, she uncovered a dark-skinned man, her age or a little older, who looked pretty battered. He stirred at her touch.

"Oh no—you're going to be okay, just don't move," Alice said, fumbling for her phone.

Allies

 * Alice Harod
 * Jonah Parata
 * Mrs. Parata

Villains

 * Spider Drones