A Family Affair

A Family Affair is the twentieth episode of Power Rangers: Lost Ninjas.

Synopsis
Sensei Blackfeather tries to talk Nico into a surrender, as the Obsidian Shadow Ranger goes after someone else.

Last time we saw the Terra and Shinobi Rangers...
Mrs. Ramirez announced that Terra Academy's principal was coming to visit, and Nico finally told her the truth about the attack. Korassil launched his plan to capture Nico's Zord, taking it over with Malwaria's virus as Nico fought the monster Phantasmagoria on the ground. However, the Silver Ranger produced his Tigerzord, which was able to stop Nico's Zord. Lothor revealed the Silver Ranger's older brother, a Black Ranger, to his generals.

February 11th, Cave in the Appalachians, 9:20 am
Nico climbed out of the cockpit of the Cougarzord, dropping to the floor of the cavern. The only light came from the lantern on a rocky ledge, and the flashlight in his hand. Malwaria's white goop clung to his Ranger suit, squelching in his boots with each step. With a groan, Nico tried to swipe the sticky stuff off, but it only clung to his gloves.

"Wish I had a Mineral Springs ninja around, they'd be able to hose you out," he said to the Zord. "Assuming that wouldn't fry the works, anyway."

Grabbing a shard of rock and a bucket, Nico climbed up the Cougarzord's side, and started scraping the virus goop off. It plopped in the bucket, quivering like jelly. Footsteps echoed down the tunnel, and the Silver Ranger appeared in the tunnel entrance. Like Nico, he was still morphed.

"Made any progress?" He called.

"Not really, other than you busted it but good. I'm no mechanic."

The Silver Ranger ninja-streaked up on the hull beside Nico, landing in a crouch. "Are there any good mechanics in town?"

Nico paused, thinking. "Erickson might be able to do it. I think he helped build the last hangar or something like that. But he got paid—a lot."

"I'll handle it. What's his address?"

"It's on Lucas Street, his name's on the sign," Nico replied, just as his phone rang. It lay on the cockpit seat. Scooting over, he flipped it open. It clinked against his helmet as he tried to put it to his ear. "What?"

"The principal's here," his Mom said.

"What?"

"I told you he was coming."

"Yeah, but—"

"You're the one who knows exactly what's going on, not me. Get back here and deal with it." His Mom hung up without another word.

With an exasperated groan, Nico got up. It took a couple of tries for him to turn the phone off while wearing gloves, but he managed.

"You're going?" The Silver Ranger sounded surprised.

"My old Sensei's the principal she was talking about. Might as well find out what's happened at Terra Academy since I ran away," Nico said.

"Sounds like a trap."

"Yeah, probably." Nico jumped onto the Cougarzord's extended foreleg, and then the floor. "Maybe you should hurry up and get Erickson to fix my Zord. Might come in handy."

Without another word, the Silver Ranger ninja-streaked out of the cave. Nico followed, zipping down the still-snowy mountainside towards Castle Ridge. Smoke still rose from the destroyed factory: coal was hard to put out. It only took a few seconds for Nico to reach his house, stopping in the backyard.

"Power down."

Straightening his jacket with a jerk, Nico marched towards the house, climbed the steps and pushed the back door open. In the living room sat Sensei Blackfeather and Mrs. Ramirez. Nico started to come in, but his Mom caught him with a glare. Stopping, Nico wiped his boots on the mat, and gave her a look as if to say "happy now?" She nodded once, curtly, and rose.

"You'll have to excuse me; as I told you on the phone, I've got to go to work," she said.

Sensei Blackfeather nodded. With one final glance at Nico, Mrs. Ramirez left the room. As the front door shut, Nico dropped into an armchair. Folding his arms, he watched his former Sensei.

"Nico," Sensei Blackfeather said. He didn't look well at all: his face was pale, and his black quiff of hair had gone limp. He sat with hunched shoulders, making him look shorter than usual, and he twiddled his fingers.

"Yeah?"

"I'm not sure how much you know about what's happened to the school . . ."

"So tell me."

Sensei Blackfeather wouldn't make eye contact, or even look up from his lap. "We surrendered. It was the only way to prevent Korassil—the leader—from hurting or killing the students."

"Except for kicking his butt back into space, of course," Nico replied dryly.

"We tried to fight him off, but he's more powerful than all of us." Sensei Blackfeather sighed. "Which is why I've come to ask you to surrender."

Nico sat bolt upright. "What?"

"The only reason Korassil is attacking Castle Ridge is to capture you, Nico. If you surrender, he'll leave the city—and Terra Academy—alone. He's told me to tell you that if you hand yourself over now, he won't punish you. Even if you won't join him, he'll just take your morpher and leave you alone."

Sensei Blackfeather finally looked up at Nico, studying him for a response. The teenager sat back, with an unusually thoughtful frown, and drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair. After a moment, he stopped, and looked Blackfeather in the eye.

"You can go back to Terra and tell Korassil to do his worst. I've fought plenty of his cronies and won, I'm not scared of him."

For a moment, Sensei Blackfeather almost smiled. Then his face grew grim, and he stood. "You've barely had a taste of what Korassil can do. He is ruthless; he'll do whatever it takes to bring you down. No matter what—or who—he has to destroy to get to you." He stared at Nico, who glared right back. Then something bleeped, and Blackfeather held up his left wrist. A black metal cuff encircled his arm, just covered by his jacket sleeve. Without another word, he left, slamming the front door behind him.

Nico sat still for a long minute. There was something funny about the way Blackfeather emphasized those words—or who. Wait. . . Nico sprang out of the chair with a muttered curse, and ran for the door.

"Terra Storm, Ranger Form!" He shouted. He morphed as he leaped down the front steps, landing in a roll. His Mom's car was already gone, but her office wasn't far, especially going by ninja-streak. As he ran down the road, Nico decided he needed something to get around in when he wasn't using a Zord. Maybe a motorcycle.

The coal refinery rose up before him, soot-grey against the muddy snow. Everything looked normal. However, as Nico stopped on the other side of the street, he saw a third-story window shatter. A feminine scream rang out.

"Don't you dare!"

When Nico tried to ninja-streak up the side of the building, he fell flat on his back. Flipping upright, he ran inside. Zipping up the stairs, he knocked over a few passing workers, but didn't even register it.

Nico rammed right through his Mom's office door, and saw an unfamiliar Black Ranger holding her by the throat. She struggled, disheveled, in the stranger's grip to no avail. Seeing Nico, she started to shout, but the Black Ranger melted into the wall, dragging her with him. She screamed once as they disappeared.

"No!" Nico ran up to the wall, but his mother and the attacker were gone without a trace. Furious, he slammed a fist into the wall, cracking it.

After a moment, he turned, crunching glass underfoot. As he did, he noticed a sheet of yellowy paper pinned to the desk by a black shuriken. Hurrying over, Nico snatched the paper up, and read it.

If you ever want to see your mother again, alive and in one piece, be in the city park in five minutes. Alone.

Nico crumpled the paper in one hand, hurling it aside. He grabbed the shuriken, turning it in his hands. He didn't recognize the symbol on it, but it looked like kanji. Clenching it in his fist, he ninja-streaked back down the stairs.

Leawood Park, 10:02 am
The Black Ranger stood in the middle of an open field, stock-still. The arms and legs of his uniform gleamed silver-white in the morning light, as did the matching crest on his angular visor, and the accents across his suit. His uniform was bulkier than Nico's with steel grey armor on the shoulders and knees, as well as a breastplate, gauntlets and vambraces. A pair of twin swords hung across his back.

Hearing the whoosh of ninja-streaking, the Black Ranger turned to see Nico land a few yards away. The Blue Ranger whirled his Terra Bo and dropped into a fighting stance. He was breathless from the run, but still visibly itching for action.

"Where is she?" He demanded.

"Safe, for now," the Black Ranger replied. "Having any second thoughts about Korassil's offer?"

"I'm having second thoughts about not going straight to his ship and rearranging his face," Nico replied, slamming one end of the Terra Bo into the ground. "But I think I'll start with you."

"I'd really like to see you try," the Black Ranger replied, sounding amused. Nico took a step towards him, and he added, "Though I think it's only fair to warn you, whatever you do to me, your mother gets a double dose of."

Nico halted. His gloves creaked as he gripped the bo tighter. Closing the gap between them, the Black Ranger circled Nico once, looking him up and down. He stopped in front of Nico.

"Hand over the morpher, now, and nobody gets hurt."

"Not happening. How do I know you'll even give her back if I surrender?" Nico asked.

"You don't, but your other option is to watch as I take her apart."

The two watched each other in silence for a minute. Then Nico raised his left arm.

"Power down."

"Good choice," the Black Ranger said, as Nico unstrapped his morpher.

However, Nico backed up a step, holding the morpher up. The Black Ranger took a step towards him, and Nico backed away. His fist turned to stone with a crackle.

"Hand her over or I'll crush it."

The Black Ranger just shrugged. "Fine."

He snapped his fingers, and a couple of Kelzak Berserks materialized behind him, holding Mrs. Ramirez by the arms. She looked around in bewilderment, tried to jerk herself free, saw Nico and froze. He flashed a wry half-grin at her, and turned a glare back on the Black Ranger. Another finger snap, and the Kelzak Berserks shoved Mrs. Ramirez towards Nico. She stumbled a little, but caught herself before Nico could. Dusting herself off, she stepped around behind him.

"So that's where you've been sneaking off to?" She asked, looking at the morpher in Nico's hand. "That's a relief. I thought you'd joined a gang or something."

"Not a good time, Mom."

"Hand it over," the Black Ranger said, holding out a hand.

"And let you people do whatever you want with it? I don't think so," Nico replied, strapping it right back on.

Before he could morph, dozens Kelzaks swarmed out of the trees and playground equipment, all wielding bladed tonfas. They surrounded the two, shuffling silently into place. The Black Ranger shook his head.

"You really thought we'd fall for something like that? Kill the woman, leave the Ranger to me," he said to the foot soldiers. In one smooth gesture, he drew both of his swords from their sheaths across his back.

"Terra Storm, Ranger Form!" Nico shouted, morphing in a flash and drawing his Terra Bo. "Get down!"

Mrs. Ramirez dropped, shielding her head, as Nico swung the Terra Bo over her head. He took out the first wave of Kelzak Berserks, sending them staggering into their fellows. However, more quickly shoved past them. Gripping his bo like a quarterstaff, Nico caught four tonfa strikes, shoving them back with a grunt. Mrs. Ramirez screamed as a blade caught her upraised arm, and she punched the attacker, catching it in the shin.

More foot soldiers pressed in on the Ramirezes, in spite of Nico's increasingly wild swings. The ones he managed to hit only staggered and kept on coming. Standing near the back, the Black Ranger gave his swords an experimental twirl. They whistled in the air—and clanged against a raised katana blade.

The Silver Ranger stood in front of Black, sword drawn. Noticing him, the Kelzak Berserks hesitated. Nico took advantage of their distraction to grab his mother and throw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Cover your head," he said, turning his entire body to stone. She obeyed, and doubling over, Nico bulled through the foot soldiers, shoulder-first like a football player. Their blades sparked against his suit as they tried to fight back, but were knocked aside or trampled. The rest chased after him, waving their tonfas.

"Chris," the Black Ranger said, "I was wondering when you'd show up."

"What? How do you—"

"Really? You don't recognize me, little brother?" The Black Ranger broke the sword lock, backed up a step and dropped into a fighting stance. "Like the suit? Lothor based it on the Thunder Ranger morphers."

"Alex?"

The Black Ranger charged, and Chris blocked one low sword stroke, ducking a high swing from the other. Coming up, he slashed at Alex's shoulder, but the Black Ranger caught his blade between his twin swords.

"Of course, it's not the Shinobi morpher—but then again, I'll have that too, soon enough."

"I don't think so!" Chris jerked his sword free, twirling to slash upwards across Alex's chest.

Sidestepping, Alex scissored the blades at Chris's throat. The Silver Ranger backflipped, coming up to catch two downward swings on his katana. However, at the last second Alex twisted one blade sideways, catching Chris's leg just below the knee. Suit sparking, Chris dropped to one knee.

Alex's next blows came thick and fast, keeping Chris on the ground. The last sword stroke sliced through Chris's helmet—but with no resistance. Carried by his momentum, Alex stumbled, turning as the ghostly duplicate of Chris dissipated into the air.

With a snarl, Alex whirled just in time to catch Chris's attack on one sword. Chris shoved him away, backing up a few steps. He limped a little, and his left leg was blackened where Alex had slashed it.

Before Alex could recover, he was enveloped in blinding light. Chris paused, bewildered, as his older brother vanished into thin air. He hesitated a moment, and then ran after Nico and the Kelzak Berserks.

Korassil's Ship, 10:24 am
"Why did you stop me?" Alex demanded. He'd materialized on the bridge, where Korassil was monitoring the battle as usual.

"Your mission was to take the Blue Morpher. Your family feud can wait," Korassil replied.

Alex's visor retracted, and he glared at Korassil. "You think that was about a grudge?"

"That is why you joined Lothor, isn't it? To get revenge on your brother?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "Please. Nico's an amateur; Chris is the real threat here."

"Then why couldn't you capture him before your brother showed up?" Korassil's tone was even, not even a touch of sarcasm. "I gave you a mission, focus on it."

Alex said nothing, but his blue eyes narrowed. Korassil turned back to the console, watching as Nico and Chris took down the remaining Kelzak Berserks.

"Still, with Sensei Blackfeather's interview, this fight has been instructive," Korassil said. "The Blue Ranger is focused on survival, and protecting those he knows and already cares about. I suspect if we force him out of his home, where he has no one to protect, he'll be less willing to fight—particularly if the Silver Ranger continues to push him towards heroics."

Hearing that, Alex's expression became thoughtful. Slowly, he began to smile. He came up beside Korassil, glancing down at the screen. Nico slashed a Kelzak Berserk across the face, and it exploded, throwing him against a rock wall and shattering it.

"In that case, I may have an idea," Alex said.

Allies

 * Luciana Ramirez
 * Sensei Blackfeather

Villains

 * Korassil
 * Kelzak Berserks

Trivia

 * The original plan for this chapter did not include Alex capturing Mrs. Ramirez; it was going to go straight to Korassil deciding to force Nico out of his hometown and set him against Chris. Things only took this turn during Sensei Blackfeather's final warning, when I realized that taking a Ranger's parent(s) hostage is a pretty solid plan for dealing with most Rangers *coughReturnofanOldFriendcough*.