Panicked Haste

Panicked Haste is the forty-first episode of Power Rangers: Lost Ninjas.

Summary
Dean is finally forced to choose a side, and Easton makes a disturbing discovery about his own past.

Last time in Scrimshaw
Dean got caught watching Alice by Archer. Noticing, Alice intervened to keep Archer from killing him, and they had a very strange conversation, which finally prompted Dean to realize he cared about her and what she thought of him. Susana accompanied Tyler to the hospital so she could meet Sienna. The two Season Ninjas finally realized their mutual attraction, but were interrupted by Susana, who'd discovered a Death Ninja being brought into the hospital.

March 4th, Stewart Memorial Hospital, Scrimshaw, 9:44 am
Tyler was waiting in the hospital lobby when Easton and Kerri arrived. With a glance at the other people scattered around the room, he led them to the elevator.

"Susana didn't recognize her?" Easton asked, as Tyler hit the button for the third floor.

He shook his head. "She said she looked kind of familiar, but no."

"What did she look like?"

". . . Early twenties, I'd say; long blonde hair, slightly curly, fair skin, pretty," Tyler listed off. "Nothing special aside from the Death Ninja uniform."

Easton considered this silently. Without him seeming to realize it, his hand crept to a spot in the center of his chest, gathering a handful of his shirt. Tyler gave him a funny look, and he caught himself, letting go and looking away.

"Is she okay, though?" Kerri asked. "I mean, there's no point in all of us being here if she's in intensive care or something."

"That's the funny thing. According to the doctors, she's fine. No lasting injuries, I mean—she's got some scrapes and bruises, and apparently some water in her lungs, but it's all cleared up."

With a shudder and a ding, the elevator doors opened, and everyone walked out. The hallway was white and bright with sunlight. Walking rapidly, Tyler led the group to the right door.

"Can't say I know anyone of that description from the school," Easton said at last. "Be careful. She might be a plant."

Tyler opened the door, and everyone walked in. The woman was in bed, but awake and talking to Susana in an agitated voice. She had a slight German accent.

"Where's my son? He's about five years old, he was with me—I remember that much. Has anyone seen him?"

Easton froze in the doorway. Not noticing his pause, Kerri bumped into him with an oof.

"Hey, why'd you stop? Hey, wake up."

The Gold Ranger had gone chalk-white. Kerri squeezed in around him, and waved a hand in front of his face. He smacked it aside, hard enough to startle Kerri. She quickly got out of the way.

Tyler turned back. "Easton?"

The patient sat bolt upright, staring at Tyler. "What did you just say?"

"Th-that's Easton Lewis, he's our Gold Ranger," Susana replied. "Why? Do you know him?"

The woman leaned over and grabbed Susana by the shoulders, startling a yelp out of her. "What year is it?"

"2003—what else would it be?"

The woman looked harder at Easton. Her eyes widened, and she released Susana. " . . . Easton?"

Easton finally found his voice. "Hi, Mom."

"What?" Everyone else exclaimed at once.

"She's your—how? Did she have you when she was two?" Tyler demanded.

"You told me your Mom was dead," Susana added, standing up.

Kerri raised her voice to be heard over everyone else. "Guys? Calm down, we're going to get kicked out for yelling in a hospital, and weirder things have happened to all of us."

The others quieted down, looking sheepish. Easton's mother blinked rapidly a few times, and then swiped at her eyes.

"You thought I was dead?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Immediately Easton got up and came over to her, putting an arm around her. Looking apologetic, Susana backed away to make room for him.

"I'm sorry, this is stupid," Gwen half-sobbed.

Easton let out a shaky laugh. "I don't care."

"Wait—how did you get here all the way from Nepal?" Kerri asked, only to feel Susana's hand come down on her shoulder.

"Later," Susana said, and began pulling her out of the room. Tyler followed without any urging; the door clicked shut behind them.

Training Room, The Thinker's Ship, 10:09 am
Dean entered the training room, and found Tauza and the Thinker waiting. Something about their sober expressions made him uneasy. Trying not to let it show, he stopped a few feet away, clasping his hands behind his back.

"What do you want?"

"We've noticed a few . . . discrepancies in your behavior," the Thinker said. "Lying about where you've been, avoiding fights with the Rangers, and making so many mistakes with poisoning the Yellow Ranger that it seems like deliberate sabotage."

Dean hesitated. "The poison was a stupid mistake. It won't happen again. And I haven't been lying to you—"

"Don't start," Tauza interrupted. She tapped a wall panel, and it lit up, showing video footage of Dean sneaking out of Alice's house. "Exactly what 'poison ingredients' did you expect to find in there?"

Dean tried to stay calm and will himself to stop sweating. "I left part of my uniform by accident; I went back to get it. That's all."

"No more excuses," Tauza said, switching the video off. "You've developed some kind of attachment to the girl who took care of you. It's perfectly understandable. Of course, if it's interfering with your duties it can't continue."

"It won't," Dean said as firmly as he could. "I'm still loyal to you. Give me a chance to prove myself."

"I was hoping to hear that," Tauza said, and hit the comm button. "Reggie, come in now."

The door opened behind Dean, who looked around. In came the Black Ranger, morphed, dragging Alice by the arm. He shoved her to the floor, and she caught herself on her hands and knees. Picking herself up, she looked around. Her panting echoed in the bare room. Dean's lungs had suddenly tightened up inside his chest so he couldn't breathe.

"Kill her," Tauza said, pointing to Alice.

Dean didn't move. Silently, Reggie shut the door and stood in front of it, arms folded. He didn't have to say anything; Dean already guessed what would happen if he refused. Alice backed away from Tauza, and turned towards Dean. She was clearly scared, but there was something else in her face. Hope?

Finally, Dean made his decision. He didn't have a choice anymore. Blood roaring in his ears, heart pounding a mile a minute, he raised his morpher.

"Terra Storm, Ranger Form."

Dean stands in the middle of a wide cavern, surrounded by steaming, bubbling pools of mineral water. With a rumble, a geyser bursts out of the ground beneath him, and he shoots up in the water. As he backflips, the water thickens and solidifies around him into his Ranger suit. He lands in a crouch.

Alice flinched as he transformed, but didn't move. Looking pleased, Tauza folded her arms and looked on, while the Thinker and Reggie remained unreadable. Dean drew his Geyser Blowgun.

"Alice? Duck."

"You—" Reggie began, but Alice had already thrown herself flat.

A volley of darts that almost steamed with poison shot towards Tauza and the Thinker. Unfortunately, the Thinker also followed Dean's instructions, and the volley went over his head. More darts pinged harmlessly off Tauza's armor. Dean's shooting was cut off by the Metal Suruchin's black cord wrapping around his throat; the metal balls struck his shoulder hard enough to bruise even through the suit. One jerk, and Dean hit the floor hard.

Dean tried to untangle the rope, choking as it tightened. Hearing running footsteps, he glimpsed Alice run into his field of vision. She grabbed the suruchin rope, wound it around her hands and jerked back as hard as she could. It didn't seem to affect Reggie, but the stranglehold loosened. Dean untangled himself, wheezing for breath.

By now Tauza had recovered, and her sword hissed free of its sheath. Snatching up his dropped Geyser Blowgun, Dean started shooting at her, forcing her to swerve to avoid his shots. Taking advantage of his distraction, Reggie started hauling on the suruchin, dragging Alice towards himself.

Grabbing Alice around the waist—she yelped—Dean swung her away from Reggie, blasting him with poisoned darts. The Black Ranger just ninja-streaked around them, jerking them both off-balance. Dean recovered, catching Alice; the suruchin whooshed audibly out of her hands.

Thinking fast, Dean looked around. He couldn't see any pipes, but he knew they were there, inside the walls. With a deep breath, he focused. He felt Alice's hands slip around his own and take the Geyser Blowgun away; once she had it he let go.

With a rattle and a metallic bang, blistering hot fluid blasted out of the wall directly above Reggie. It swept him off his feet, sending him skidding across the floor. Still half-carrying Alice, Dean sprinted towards the doorway. Alice tried to shoot as she ran, but the steam was now so thick it was impossible to tell if she hit anything. One solid punch to the controls, and the doors opened, letting the pair bolt out.

Stewart Memorial Hospital, 10:46 am
"I can't believe I missed so much," Gwen said, looking Easton up and down. She'd finished crying—so had Easton, but he didn't think anyone else needed to know about that—and they'd just talked for a while. She giggled. "You're practically my age now, aren't you?"

"Twenty-one, yeah. This is so weird," Easton said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You're telling me. I've got a lot to catch up on. Is Sensei Ngapoi still kicking?"

"I think so—she was last I saw her anyway," Easton said. "But like I said, we're in kind of a bad situation right now."

"The space ninjas. You told me," Gwen replied, growing serious. "Do you have any idea what they plan to do next?"

Easton shook his head. "None. It seems like Tauza's only here half of the time, though, and something's definitely happening elsewhere; Ishinomori keeps detecting smaller ships and teleportation signals to and from the east."

"Chiratheon," Gwen whispered.

". . . Can't be," Easton said at last. "It can't. He's trapped—even last time he was only barely able to reach out—"

"But this time he has a plan," Gwen said, sounding eerily calm. "He's got something that might just break through all of the barriers."

Easton slid away from her a little, visibly alarmed. "What are you talking about?"

Gwen tapped a finger on his chest, right in the center of the strange mark, and he flinched. "Don't ask how I knew—dark energy like this resonates with itself."

She twisted around, pulling aside her hair. Easton could see the cobwebby edges of a blue-black mark just like his on the nape of her neck. His breath caught in his throat.

"I have to be honest with you, Easton," Gwen said, facing him again. "I remember exactly what happened. You're the one who's blocking things out."

Easton just stared at her, his confusion overtaken by creeping horror. Gwen smiled.

"Are you starting to remember now? How after I drowned, the water started glowing, and a bolt of light shot out at you. It hit you right there." She tapped his chest again, right on the sternum.

Easton couldn't seem to move, but he was breathing faster and faster. Gwen took him by the wrists; her hands were so cold they burned. When she spoke, it was almost kindly.

"The shock killed you, of course. You were lucky that Sensei Ngapoi was so near; she was able to restart your heart. Chiratheon hadn't expected that, but it turned out for the best. You see, if he'd just killed you, he'd have gotten control of your body, as he did mine. Alive, you may be just what he needs to escape."

There was a knock on the door, and Gwen looked away from Easton for a moment. In that second he jerked away from her, springing to his feet.

"Ethereal Storm, Ranger—"

His shout was cut off by Gwen's hand clamping down on his wrist. Ice crystals crackled across his morpher, freezing it solid. Easton tried to break her grip, but Gwen twisted his arm back painfully, forcing him to his knees.

"Easton? What's going on?" Susana's voice was muffled by the door.

Gwen leaned down to Easton's level. Her eyes were a deep, blank blue, so dark it was almost black. Easton couldn't look away.

"Time to go."

The Thinker's Ship, 10:28 am
"Any ideas?" Alice said, and shielded her face as a laser struck the wall near her head. The pair were in a narrow hallway, with only an alcove shielding them from Spider Drones and Snipers on either side. Dean didn't reply, and Alice looked around at him. "You don't have any, do you?"

Dean sat down, his back to the wall, and held up his morpher. Unable to see him, the foot soldiers ceased fire for the moment. Nearby, a drain that Dean had burst earlier burbled like a small waterfall, filling the hall with slick purple fluid.

"Power down." As Alice watched in bewilderment, he demorphed, unstrapped the morpher and held it out to her. "Take it."

"What are you doing?"

Dean grabbed her wrist and forced the morpher into her hand. "The Copperhead Snakezord's down the hall, in the hangar to the right. You'll know how to pilot it by instinct. Get going."

"Are you kidding?"

"They're interested in me, not you, and that should shield you from most foot soldier weapons. I can slow them down long enough for you to escape."

Alice shoved the morpher back in his face. "You'll have to play noble martyr some other time; I'm not leaving without you. Besides, they might just think I'm you anyway."

"Do you have another plan?" Dean snapped.

"Keep doing what we're doing. We're almost there; if we hurry we can finish before anybody stronger than a foot soldier catches up."

Dean grabbed Alice by the arm and jerked her flat just in time. A Spider Drone laser burned into the wall just about where their heads had been. As the two huddled there, panting, the alarm switched off abruptly, replaced with an automated-sounding voice.

"Intruder alert. Intruder alert."

Dean and Alice looked at each other in bewilderment. However, the foot soldiers continued firing, and one lucky shot actually grazed Dean's shoulder. He grunted in pain and clutched the burn.

"Morph, you idiot!" Alice yelled.

Dean obeyed. As the intruder alert went on, Dean picked Alice up, and braced himself to run.

"In case we get killed, I want you to know that I saved you because I'm in love with you," he said.

Alice smiled. "I knew it."

"Hold this." Dean handed her his Geyser Blowgun, which she readied. He bolted down the hall, lasers ricocheting off the walls around him and drawing sparks from his suit.

The Bridge, 10:37 am
"Where is this intruder?" The Thinker demanded, flicking rapidly through security cameras all over the ship. "And don't lose track of the traitor; he can't be allowed to escape."

"Reggie's already gone to his Zord to intercept him if he gets out of the ship," Tauza said, from the other side of the console. "But he's outnumbered."

"Or he would be if those brainless soldiers hadn't abandoned their attack to search for the intruder!" The Thinker snapped. There was a soft clanking sound, and the Thinker looked up to see a Spider Drone walk inside. "What is it?"

The robot came further in, leading a quartet of monsters: Jambavan was front and center. The Oriental woman stood on his left, the robot on his right. Behind him stood a thin man with a scraggly black beard, who looked surprisingly unintimidating next to all the others. At the sight of them, Tauza straightened abruptly. Jambavan made eye contact with her, and gave a barely perceptible nod.

Facing them, the Thinker folded his arms. "And who are you?"

Apparently forgetting about its captives, the Spider Drone clanked up to the Thinker. Before he could react, it began to morph and change, stretching upwards. Its armor dulled and softened, turning into a grey suit. Its guns became hands, its legs molded together, and a head sprouted on top. Faster than it takes to describe, the Spider Drone had become a perfect replica of the Thinker himself.

"Impressive," the Thinker said, circling his duplicate. "Intending to replace me, are you?"

"That is the plan," Tauza said.

The Thinker glanced at her, and for a brief second, he looked startled. Then the expression faded, and he shook his head in disgust. "I thought you were above petty revenge, but apparently I overestimated you."

"Don't overestimate yourself," Tauza replied, switching off the console. "Madam Yuki?"

Before the Thinker could do more than raise his walking stick, the Oriental woman transformed into a massive snowbird and shot at him, claws extended. He only just ducked, delivering a solid rap to her leg with his cane. She swerved, hitting a wall.

The scraggly man began to grow, face blazing like the sun and smoke pouring from two craters in his shoulders. The Thinker faked a run for the exit, but swerved towards the console. Tauza blocked his path with a drawn sword. Seizing her by the wrist, he tried to twist her away, only for the now-giant man to send a blast of fire at his back. It slammed him against Tauza with a grunt of pain, and she tossed him aside.

"I have you to thank for this idea," Tauza said, as the Thinker struggled painfully to rise—only for the bird to land on his back, slamming him to the floor with an audible crunch. He didn't have the breath to even scream. "Simply set up a situation your opponent has never encountered, and take away their time to think."

Madam Yuki hurled the Thinker across the room; he hit the wall and crumpled with an audible crunch. Before anyone could even see if he'd survived, the fiery man stepped in, both hands blazing. White-hot flames shot out of his hands, enveloping the Thinker. Tauza watched with grim satisfaction. Unnoticed by her, the ship's sensors showed the Copperhead Snakezord flying out of sensor range.

Allies

 * Alice Harod
 * Archer

Villains

 * The Thinker
 * Spider Drones
 * Tauza
 * Major Jambavan
 * Madam Yuki
 * Spymaster Amorphous
 * Brigadier Chubouzu
 * Commandant Helios
 * Gwen Lewis