Castle Ridge (Episode)

Castle Ridge is the eighth episode of Power Rangers: Lost Ninjas.

Synopsis
Nico finally reaches home, only to be ambushed by one of Korassil's monsters.

Last time we saw the Terra Ranger...
Nico was about to be expelled when his school was attacked by Korassil's forces. Grabbing the Stone Morpher, he fled into the mountains. Eventually, Sensei Blackfeather ordered the school's surrender, and the entire school was placed under surveillance, Dean and Reggie joining Korassil's forces as the Red and Black Rangers.

February 4th, Appalachians, 7:40 am
Nico woke up with a start. Pale, early morning light filtered into the little cave, around his petrified legs. He started to change back into flesh, but a gust of cold wind changed his mind. A few birds twittered in the brush outside. It had snowed in the night, and a dusting of snow blanketed the outside.

Nico's stomach growled. He hadn't eaten since...morning before yesterday? No, yesterday morning he'd found some unlucky squirrel's hoard of beechnuts, and he'd been chewing spruce gum since then. Being a rock helped, but he was starting to get lightheaded. As he crawled out of his cave, he heard a thrumming noise. It sounded like an airplane, but bigger, slower, and a lot nearer. Realizing what it meant, Nico slid back into the cave and waited.

The aircraft passed overhead, making the trees sway, and was gone. The noise faded, leaving a startled silence behind. Faintly, footsteps crunched in the snow. Nico held very still, breathing as quietly as he could. This had happened before, a lot—the reason he wasn't in Castle Ridge yet. It'd take a good ten minutes before the searchers passed on.

Nico held his breath as the Kelzak Berserks drew close. A shadow fell over his face. It paused. Crunching footsteps neared. Even though Nico knew his lucky streak had to run out someday, he prayed it wouldn't be now. He wasn't ready for a fight just yet.

Nico almost jumped as the Kelzak stepped on his leg. It paused. He didn't breathe. After a moment, it climbed up onto the rock sheltering him, and soon moved on. In ones and twos, the other searchers faded into the woods. Nico let out a huge sigh of relief.

He crawled out of the hole and stretched. His shoulders and legs were kinked up from curling up in that cave for so long. Through the pines, he glimpsed smoke, and guessed it was coming from Castle Ridge, the nearest town, also home. Finally.

Hurrying down the mountainside, slipping a little in the snow, Nico headed towards Castle Ridge. He heard that spaceship make a few more passes. Each time he curled up and turned into a rock. They probably couldn't see him through the trees, but they might have body heat scanners or something. Up ahead, the trees thinned, and a few houses appeared. Nico didn't stop for them: he kept going until he hit an actual road. Now he realized it'd probably be a good idea to abandon the whole stone body thing. The winter wind cut into him like a knife. Nico ducked his head, shoved his hands deep in his pockets, and kept walking.

A couple of cars whooshed past Nico as he trudged along. He considered hitchhiking, but decided not to bother. He'd walked this far, he could handle a little more, plus who'd pick up a guy dressed like him? His ears and nose stung, and his fingertips were going numb. Soon, he passed the town's wooden welcome sign, stained with brown-black smudges, probably from coal dust. The town had three coal mines, and one was nearby. A faint black powder covered the snow here, where it hadn't been crushed into muddy slush by passing cars. Soon, Nico heard the familiar muffled roars of the processing plants.

Nico sped up. He'd grown up here; he didn't have to think to know which way was home. He'd been gone for…three days now? His Mom was going to throw a fit. Even though Nico dismissed the thought immediately, he realized he'd be glad to see her. A car zoomed by, dousing Nico with icy water, distracting him.

"Hey! Watch it!" He yelled at the departing car. Flicking his dripping hair out of his eyes, he headed onwards. As the water soaked into his clothes, Nico started to shiver. He didn't even care what his Mom said or thought; he just wanted to get home.

Finally, Nico recognized his street. He broke into a run, nearly slipping a few times on the icy road. His house was near the end of the road, windows dark. Mom was probably still at work. Reaching the front steps, Nico fumbled in his pockets for his key. It wasn't there. Of course. With a groan, he jumped off the concrete steps, bent down, and fumbled in the mulch. He came up with a tarnished key, and scrambled to unlock the door.

The house was way too normal after everything Nico had been through. Same green-grey furnishings, same cramped rooms. It still smelled like those cranberry candles his Mom burned over the holidays, and the door whistled as it slammed like always. He checked: his room was just as messy as he'd left it. Flopping down on the couch, Nico started pulling off his boots. The house was cold, but not as cold as outside. Pins and needles started working into his hands, stinging enough to make his fingers clench into claws. Gritting his teeth, Nico waited for it to pass.

As he sat there, dripping on the couch, Nico heard a noise. Straightening, he listened. It was a quiet rasping noise, like someone dragging their fingernails across concrete. Someone with a lot of fingernails. A chill that had nothing to do with the cold ran down Nico's spine. The school had records of the students. All those bad guys had to do was look him up and bam, there was his address. Of course they'd set up a trap at his house, and he'd walked right into it.

The rasping noise came from the back. Nico rose. His leather jacket flopped to the couch. Silently, he walked into the living room. Maybe he could play it cool, then get the jump on them. Whatever 'them' was. Sounded big.

Reaching the back door, Nico listened. It was right outside. Up close, he could hear a quiet rattling noise. Whatever it was, it was buggy. Nico clenched his left fist. With a crackle, his arm turned to stone up to the elbow. Grabbing the doorknob with his free hand, Nico yanked it open and lunged.

His fist cracked a pearly shell, and a blue-white pincer clamped down on his wrist. The thing twisted away, slamming Nico into the door. Long, spidery legs scrabbled against the doorframe and up Nico's body, and he yelled. The bottom segments of each limb were razor-sharp blades: they slashed his clothes and drew blood. As he smacked the hairy things away, the monster dragged him outside. He hit the snow with a thump. Trying to free his arm, Nico got a full look at the monster. It was a spidery humanoid with four long legs sprouting from its back, as well as two more normal-looking arms that ended in pincers. Its cluster of eyes, which made up most of its head, blinked furiously.

It cackled. "Petrifying, aren't I? Don't worry; Mommy Longlegs isn't going to hurt you. Much." Its voice was vaguely feminine and distorted, with a slight echo. Quickly transforming the rest of his body, Nico arched his back and flipped himself upright—right into a swung leg. He staggered sideways, but jumped as Mommy Longlegs tried a leg sweep.

Ducking his head, Nico slammed a fist into the monster's gut. It was softer and paler than its back, and dimpled at the blow. Mommy Longlegs twisted his pinned wrist outwards, forcing Nico to his knees.

"You've been very naughty, Blue Ranger," Mommy Longlegs said. Nico leaned back as she grabbed at his throat, and her pincer closed on air with a noise like shutting scissors. That was when he realized his left wrist was bare. Mommy Longlegs followed his gaze and cackled. "Lose something? It's got to be somewhere."

Looking around wildly, Nico spotted his morpher lying in the snow, yards away. Nico surged to his feet, using the monster's pincers for balance, and delivered a one-two spinning kick. Mommy Longlegs staggered, and its grip loosened. Nico somersaulted out of reach, knocking a leg aside. He scrabbled for the morpher, snatching it up as the monster recovered.

"Terra Storm, Ranger Form!"

Nico kneels in a dark cave, in full ninja uniform. He somersaults and slams his fist into the floor, cracking the stone. His uniform splinters, falling away to expose his Ranger suit. The flying fragments of stone form a helmet around his head, and he strikes a fighting pose.

"Blue just isn't your color, honey," Mommy Longlegs said, as she faced him. Nico's suit was blue and black, with the Stone sigil—a snarling cougar's head—on the chest and over the visor in silver. It had shoulder, knee, shin and forearm armor as well, black trimmed with silver.

"Stone Claws!" A pair of ninja claws, silver blades on blue grips, materialized in Nico's hands. With a yell, he charged, dropping into a slide as Mommy Longlegs swung a bladed leg at him. Rolling sideways, he jumped to slice another limb through, and was sprayed with white goo. Mommy Longlegs shrieked.

More blades shot towards Nico. Planting both feet, he slashed at anything that came near. Blades sparked off his claws, white goo sprayed with each cut. He started walking towards Mommy Longlegs, almost casually. She snarled.

"What, no more dumb puns?"

In response, Mommy Longlegs charged, swinging with both pincers. Nico ducked and slashed at her stomach, but she moved back in time. Spinning, Nico kicked her incoming leg aside. He dropped and rolled around, coming up behind her. As Mommy Longlegs swung towards him, Nico stabbed. Both of his claws sliced into her gut, and the monster let out a bloodcurdling howl.

Nico tore the Stone Claws free, backflipping away. He landed on one knee, striking a fighting stance. Mommy Longlegs staggered, more white goo dripping out of her wounds. She gurgled, choked, and collapsed. Her legs kept shivering and twitching.

With a sigh, Nico stood up. His visor retracted, and he turned a circle, looking up at the sky. It was white with clouds, bright enough to make the teen squint.

"You see that?" He yelled, pointing to the monster corpse with a gooey claw. "See it? That's what'll happen to anything else you send after me! Got it?"

Korassil's Ship, Appalachian Airspace, 9:14 am
"Got it," Korassil said, gazing at the Blue Ranger on his viewscreen. He picked up a shiny black creature the size of his palm, and began stroking its back. "Likewise, understand that I will make you eat that boast." Naturally, Nico didn't respond, just demorphed and went back into the house.

Korassil turned off the sound and walked around the console, still carrying the black thing. It was a nanocam, essentially a living camera, one of many he kept scattered throughout the fleet. He'd already sent several to infest Castle Ridge, as well as Terra Academy. If any of the students tried to warn or help Nico, he'd know. The warrior turned on a different screen, and Tauza appeared. She looked better than she had before; rested, even pleased with herself.

"How are the Ethereal Zord repairs going?" He asked.

"Well enough, under the circumstances. We still haven't been able to locate the remaining two Zords: my guess is they're buried somewhere under the mountain."

"Will you still be able to form a Megazord?"

Tauza nodded, brushing her dark hair out of her eyes. "With some reprogramming, yes. The Thinker has offered to assist."

"Logical." Korassil lowered his voice. "Have you bugged everything?"

"Thoroughly. So far Reggie seems to be loyal, even enthusiastic." Tauza almost smiled.

"Good. I've tracked down my missing Ranger. Once he's summoned his Zord from wherever the school hid it, or Sensei Blackfeather talks, I'll take him."

"Hurry. Lothor is getting tired of these delays." Tauza ended the call.

Villains

 * Korassil
 * Mommy Longlegs
 * Nanoncams
 * Tauza