Disclaimer: I do not own ‘Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons’ or ‘Power Rangers: Ninja Storm’ or any of the characters used. They are in the possession of their respective owners. This story has been created for the pleasure of writing, not for profit. The Hardar Rock is of my creation and has no link to either series. The character Martin Conners is briefly mentioned and belongs to Chris Bishop. Background characters are of my creation. The locations used minus, Blue Bay Habour and Cloudbase, are real locations.

For more information on ‘Power Rangers: Ninja Storm’, check out

http://www.rangercentral.com/data-prns.htm

“To understand the past, we must travel into the future.”

-Anon

Tori Hanson, the Blue Wind Power Ranger, flicked her golden-blonde hair back as she continued her solitary stroll along the beach. At long last, she’d got what she had sought after for far too long: peace and quiet! She was away from the annoying antics of her male counterparts and the continuous advances made by Blake, the Navy Thunder Ranger (and her fellow blue ranger). Although she did like Blake a fair bit, Tori wasn’t willing to admit her true feelings just yet. As the only female ranger on the team, she had her standards, and someone had to be the sensible one, didn’t they?

These walks on the beach were important for the young Blue Ranger. They helped her to clear her head, and for a short while forget about the hassles and dangers of ranger life that came with protecting the city of Blue Bay Harbour, as well as the fighting and the team arguments and the frustration when that one bad guy was too slippery.

As she continued her stroll alongside the seafront, she scanned the waves for the numerous Bottlenose Dolphins that would surf the fierce waves. She had a longing to join them, to surf the wild waters, but the day was overcast, and a thunderstorm was expected to rumble in from the south in the coming hours. It was lightly spitting with rain already.

However Tori didn’t mind getting a little wet. She had an affinity for water, and enjoyed surfing. She had also mastered water-based fighting techniques, which meant she could manipulate water and turn it into a deadly force and actually walk on it! That was why she was elected to become the Blue Wind Ranger. Tori took pride in herself; everything she had accomplished so far meant so much to her, but at the end of the day, she was just a tomboy.

Finally Tori spied two dolphins playing an energetic game of tag. She could hear their excited whistles and squeaks as they had fun in the rough waters. Dolphins were adapted perfectly to their environment. They could tolerate all kinds of swells and strong currents. They were also highly intelligent and were able to assess their situation and act upon it. Dolphins played a very dangerous game of prey or predator every hour of every day. Large sharks could easily pick off a dolphin unable to defend itself or flee and nets would forever be a nightmare for those unlucky enough to get entangled in them.

A dolphin’s life wasn’t that different from Tori’s life actually: she too led a life of danger, of success or failure, and like a dolphin, she was adapted to her environment, and to the fight.

Tori turned her eyes to the long golden beach ahead, dotted with driftwood and boulders. She saw someone else on the sand. That itself wasn’t out of the ordinary, many people walked along the beach or used it for creational purposes, but this particular guy gave her the creeps. She quickened her pace and kept her eyes trained on the man.

He was dressed all in black despite the humidity of the day, Tori herself had stripped off her blue jacket and tied it around her waist. The Blue Ranger drew closer, noticing that the man seemed to be digging a giant hole. Shovel after shovel of sand went up into the air, adding to the pile accumulating behind him. He was working extremely quickly and had amazing strength. Not a drop of sweat dripped off him despite this.

Now Tori’s instincts were ticking, warning her of danger- great danger. She crouched behind a large boulder, peeking over the top of it so she could watch the man without him knowing. She noticed the coldness of the stranger; it seemed to her as if he had contaminated that entire section of beach with death.

“He looks like death warmed over too,” she muttered under her breath, and she watched the man work. Or was he a man?

Tori noticed the dull, lifeless, black eyes, the man’s sullenness and his near-white skin that seemed to be stretched over nothing but bone. She couldn’t see much muscle under that dead skin, and he looked very much past his ‘sell by date’. But he was extremely strong, shovelling one spadeful of sand after another in frequent repetitiveness, not even seeming to notice the strain, nor did he look tired, he just looked like an animated corpse: a zombie.

Suddenly, she heard him hit something, something like a brick. He stopped digging with the shovel and used his hands to extract what looked like a brick-sized, black, egg-shaped rock. He was smiling; a smile that Tori could tell was forced.

“Who is he?” she asked herself. She considered her next move and decided to remain where she was. It was the logical thing to do.

She watched as he pocketed the rock and climbed out of his hole, dusting off his heavy black overcoat. If zombies were real, then Tori would’ve believed he was one and that this was just a nightmare based on the recent horror movie she had watched. He looked like he belonged in a graveyard and he had a horrible aura around him, like all the happiness had been sucked out of his body. She noticed, as he stood rigid and stared into the air across the large hole he had created, his pocket showed a bulge that was the rock.

“Captain Black…”

Tori scanned the area to find the person who had spoken, but as she discovered she and Captain Black were all alone on the vast area of sand. “Who just spoke?” she asked herself.

“This is the voice of the Mysterons, report your status.”

“The Mysterons?” puzzled Tori, noticing how rigid Captain Black had gone, inhumanly stiff. She scanned the area again. “Where is that voice coming from?” She looked up at the heavens above. “What exactly do the Mysterons want a report on?”

The young Blue Ranger had a gut feeling it was to do with the rock Captain Black had extracted from the ground.

“I have found the Hardar Rock, no one is around currently. The Mysterons’ next threat against the Earthmen can go ahead as planned, this time Spectrum will not stop you,” replied Black in a dead tone that shocked Tori and froze her to her hiding place.

“His voice. It’s nearly identical to the other voice,” she whispered softly.

Tori had vast amounts of courage; she was a Power Ranger, she was used to fighting off enemies, and doing everything within her power to stop them. But there was something about Captain Black and the Mysterons she felt very unsure of.

The rock, The Hardar Rock did he call it? She’d never heard of it, but it sounded to her as if it had significant value to the Mysterons, something that they needed for evil doings. As Blue Ranger, it was her job to fight against evil, and if Captain Black and the Mysterons were indeed evil beings, she had to stop them and with Black believing he was alone, she had the element of surprise. Tori got into a position to jump out of hiding and morph up. At least she’d be armed if he tried to strike. She had the benefit of a sword, laser blaster and her Sonic Fin, and of course her water-based fighting moves.

She got ready, glancing at her morpher on her left arm…

“That is good news, Captain Black, we will open the time rift; once you are through, you will go to Skegness, and await further orders. ”

“Time Rift?”

Tori paused in her actions.

“He’s from the future?” she asked aloud.

A green and black vortex opened in the air across the other side of the pit. Black was pulled in a second later. Tori was caught off guard; the pull of the vortex was incredibly strong, and to her horror it was pulling her into its swirling mass of green and black. She tried to get a good hold of the boulder, gritting her teeth as she tried hopelessly, fingers scrabbling to dig into cracks but the fierceness of the vortex’s pull latched onto her like a leech and drained her of her strength. Her strength finally diminished and she let go; screaming, she was snatched into the vortex and disappeared from view. The next second it closed with a bright flash. An echo, a shout, disappeared into nothing as the rumble of nearby thunder made itself heard to the mainland. Danger was imminent.

For what felt like an eternity, she was sucked downwards before landing heavily, flat out on the ground. The force of the impact knocked the wind out of her, leaving her dazed and confused, but only for a few seconds. After that the Blue Ranger was hastily back on her feet. Tori looked around at her new surroundings, taking in every detail.

“This is the future?” she asked herself. “This is Skegness?”

Tori checked out her surroundings further. It was a nice area, very green and rural: quite pleasant actually. She was standing in the middle of a park. Some play equipment was close by with some young children playing on it. Tori checked to see if her morpher was still intact. She was pleased to see it was, so maybe…

She raised her arm and pressed one of the buttons on the morpher.

“Cameron, it's Tori, can you hear me?”

Nothing.

“Cameron. Can you hear me?”

When the Green Ranger’s voice didn’t emerge from the device, Tori summarised that all links to her time in the past were now severed… but maybe one wasn’t.

The morpher hadn’t suffered any damage that Tori could visibly see so she figured that it wasn’t damaged internally. The best way to test that would be to morph up but she decided against it. It wasn’t exactly the most sensible of ideas, drawing unwarranted attention to herself… unless it was normal for people to suddenly change their clothes in a flash for a brightly coloured uniform in seconds. She didn’t want to find out.

She noticed an exit and headed for it. But as she neared, a large sign caught her attention. She looked at it and noticed the large map of the area. Hope flared within her for a second.

“This isn’t Skegness,” she noticed immediately. She looked closely at the map. “Wrangle. Where is this place? I’ve never heard of it.”

She suddenly remembered. Skegness was where Captain Black was heading. “Hang on a minute, if I ended up here in Wrangle after going through the vortex, then that probably means Captain Black also landed here, which suggests he might still be in the area, and he’ll be looking for transportation out of here to Skegness,” she thought out loud. “Skegness can’t be that far away then.”

Tori knew Black needed to get to Skegness, and if she was correct in guessing this was the future -and judging from what the children were talking about and what the Mysterons had said about opening the time rift, she was correct with that assumption- then she was going to have to hunt for Black by herself. As she walked out of the park and started heading towards the old-style buildings, she put her thoughts into order.

Obviously Black had to find his own way to Skegness, so he needed transportation; if he had a car that wasn’t a problem, or he could catch a bus, or a train. But from the map she’d briefly looked at, Tori knew that there were no train tracks or railway stations at her present location.

She sighed. “Black’s got a great start on me. He could be in Skegness by now, wherever that is.”

Tori stopped in her tracks and looked blankly across the area.

“He probably doesn’t know I’ve come through the vortex with him by complete and utter accident,” she realised, completely unaware a couple of teenage girls had passed her and given her weird looks and were now gossiping about her. Tori heard their loud conversation and turned her head. She noticed their unusual clothes. In her time, mini dresses had been condemned to the history books, but Tori speculated, to them, her clothes might be unusual or not in fashion.

"What are you looking at, Nerdbrain?" sneered one of the girls.

Tori ignored the comment and started walking again, a bin caught her attention. She noticed a newspaper on top of the of the other rubbish, and she would’ve betted her ranger morpher that the newspaper was less than three days old. An old lady happened to be walking past her so Tori delayed picking up the newspaper, she didn’t want to be seen in a negative light and draw unwarranted attention to herself or end up in trouble, no matter what the year was.

“Hello, my dear,” the old lady greeted Tori, smiling as the young woman sat on the low wall that surrounded the perimeter of the park.

“Hi,” she said politely.

“Oh, you’re not from around this neck of the woods?” asked the old woman curiously, surprised by Tori’s accent.

“No, I’m waiting for my pen pal to appear, we agreed to meet here.” Tori lied astutely.

“Oh really?” said the old lady as she stopped to talk, “And whose pen pal are you? Oh, I know all the youngsters around here, sweetie pie; I’ll be able to tell them you’re here waiting,” the old lady said enthusiastically.

“That’ll be near impossible, my pen pal isn’t from around here either, we agreed to meet here because it is really beautiful,” Tori falsely explained.

“Oh, so nice to have people visiting this place, and after all the happenings with the Atomic war; very nasty business! Well, have a good day then. I’m sure your pen pal won’t keep you waiting for long. Well lots to do today, oh, and try Patsy’s Tea Shop, she’s a lovely dear and she makes some fabulous cakes. Well, cheerio.”

“Goodbye,” Tori said politely, waiting before the old woman had walked a few metres away before rescuing the newspaper from the bin. She scanned the front page and noticed the day, Tuesday. Tori then read the year. “2069,” she pondered. “I could be dead by this year, or near enough! I’d be old enough to draw my pension!”

Luckily, no one heard the Blue Ranger’s sudden outburst as she quickly scanned the rest of the newspaper. She noticed one word kept cropping up. Spectrum. She read the articles concerning Spectrum, gaining a basic knowledge as she sat back down on the wall. She learnt it was a secret military force. They were based everywhere apparently (One article even claimed that they had a secret base in Antarctica: some secret!). They had a top agent, Captain Scarlet, and according to the paper Spectrum dealt with terrorists and their activities…and the Mysterons. A wide smile came onto Tori’s face at the sight of the word.

“So the Mysterons aim to use the Hardar Rock against Spectrum? I’ve got to find Captain Black now, or he’ll use that thing for destructive use, just like I thought he would.” She frowned. “But how can one rock cause so much bother?” she pondered, and then it dawned on her. “We’re not supposed to find it, perhaps it was found and then destroyed in this time, so the Mysterons had to come back into my time to find it, and then use it to destroy Spectrum.” Tori flicked through the newspaper again and saw an article about a museum in Manchester, burning down, destroying all its treasures including a mysterious rock that scientists were just starting to study…

“That must be the Hardar Rock. The Mysterons must’ve been planning to snatch it but then someone burnt the museum down, destroying it and making it impossible for them to utilise it, then they sent Captain Black back in time to find it. Perhaps it was stronger in 2003 than any other point prior to this year? That would explain why I am now in the future,” she whispered quietly.

She stood up and broke into a light run. She had to find Captain Black; whatever magical qualities the Hardar Rock held, Tori wanted it back in her own time. She then remembered something and skidded to a halt.

Out of the corner of her eye, when she fell out of the vortex, she had noticed it was still there, burning not green and black, but with a very thin pale-blue rim! Her colour. She couldn’t understand why it was still there, maybe her morpher had somehow stabilised it or something.

“That is something for Cameron to work out,” thought Tori out loud as she picked up her speed again. A mental image of the Green Power Ranger came into her head. Cameron was a genius; if anyone could figure out all the facts about this phenomenon, he could. For a brief second her heart thumped against her breastbone. She tried to ignore it. Cam was her friend. Yes she had kissed him once before, but that was just to say thank you for saving a friend’s life, Blake’s to be exact. She was positive she didn’t have any feelings for him…did she?

She had to find Captain Black before he reached Skegness and wreaked havoc on Spectrum.

But she only got a few feet before she came to a halt again, reversed course, and ran back to the park. She had to check this out. The vortex was currently her only means of getting back to her own time. She spotted it when she got within a few feet of it. Looking up, she spied the thin pale-blue rim of the vortex, barely visible in the bright sunshine.

Obviously, her morpher had stabilised it to a certain extent but there was something she had to try. Tori raised her left arm to the vortex, her arm that held the morpher. The rim grew and became thicker and was intensely brighter than before. That’s when it clicked.

“The morpher’s energy field isn’t powerful enough to reopen it, but it is enough to stabilise it. But that doesn’t answer why it is still here…of course; the Mysterons didn’t count upon the Hardar Rock to be so active! That must’ve increased the power of the vortex in some way. The Mysterons created the vortex, the rock was activated and increased the strength of the vortex ten-fold, that’s why it was able to suck me in. Now my morpher must have the energy pattern the vortex needed, and the energy given off by the morpher helped stabilise the vortex after the Hardar Rock passed through it, giving me a chance to enter this time. That’s it! It needs a much stronger energy field in order to open, and the rock provides that, but it needs activation energy to start it off. So perhaps my morpher might’ve triggered it off if I’d have found the rock? That means the rock can get me home. The vortex requires a high yield energy field to fully open it and the Hardar Rock would open the vortex fully. If I am assuming the rough ride was because the Mysterons created the rift in the first place and the Hardar Rock was trying to correct the time vortex, then I’ll have a smoother ride home. That also answers the question, what the rock is used for -to create a time vortex- but I don’t think the Mysterons wanted the Hardar Rock to create another time vortex, or did they? I need that rock back, and I need Black to give it to me!”

A thought suddenly dawned on her. Once more Tori tried the communications systems built into the morpher.

“Cam. This is Tori, can you hear me?”

Nothing.

Tori held her arm closer to the vortex.

“Cameron, can you hear me?”

Silence.

Tori stopped trying and started to begin searching the area. It was worth a try seeing if she could connect to her time, however Tori didn’t notice that by removing her arm from close proximity, the rim of the vortex was less powerful. But that didn’t matter; she required the Hardar Rock, to get her back to the right year and save Spectrum from the fate that lay in store for the organisation.

Cloudbase was relatively quiet today. Special Agent Martin Conners had returned to Spectrum Headquarters London, following an ‘urgent’ discussion with Colonel White. Several engineers were away on much-needed vacations while Lieutenant Green had recently returned off his short break. Captain Grey was finishing a report to Major Stone, on how a cadet nearly managed to drown himself, while Captain Ochre was away test-driving SPVs in England and after all heads were counted, Cloudbase had around two dozen new faces.

The main promotion and transfer window had only just finished. Transfers and promotions happened all year round but a vast majority tended to occur during September/ October time, no particular reason, it just seemed a good time, with the likes of Halloween and Christmas around the corner.

“Well, I can safely say I don’t know half of Cloudbase’s complement anymore,” Scarlet joked, as he watched a cricket match on TV.

“Oh cheer up, Paul. I'm sure the new recuits all want to meet you,” Blue replied, trying to work out his crossword.

Scarlet grimaced.

“It’s not as if it’s the end of the world is it?” Grey asked him from his position behind a desk, finishing off his report.

Scarlet didn’t reply. Instead he stood and went over to the small kitchen area and poured himself a fresh coffee.

“The Mysterons have been quiet,” Blue commented.

“Too quiet,” agreed Scarlet, returning to his seat.

“You should be thankful, it’s keeping you out of Sickbay and away from Eddie,” Grey responded.

“I suppose you’re right,” he sighed. “But it doesn’t make me feel any easier. Who knows what they’ve got planned next, who or what their target will be. We won’t know until they issue their threat.”

“Why don’t you go and pester the Angels instead. They could always do with some company,” suggest Blue.

“I wouldn’t recommend that,” advised Grey. Both Scarlet and Blue looked at him. “Melody was in a bit of a bad mood when I popped in to say hello. She’s likely to kill you if she isn’t on Angel One shift.”

“Dianne’s in Angel One at the moment,” Scarlet informed him.

Grey looked back at his work. “If you fancy dying, just go and talk to Melody.”

“No thanks,” came Scarlet’s reply.

“I wonder why she’s upset,” pondered Blue.

“I think she muttered something about noise when I spoke to her earlier,” Grey told them.

“Isn’t her next door neighbour Pat?” asked Scarlet.

“Yes.”

“Might’ve been the Irish folk music then,” smirked Scarlet.

“Who knows,” Blue interrupted.

“Karen’s off duty, Adam,” Scarlet suddenly remembered. “Why don’t you spend some time with her?”

Blue sighed. “She has the tendencies of a hungry cat right at the moment.”

“Uh ho, what you done now?” asked Grey.

“Nothing I’m aware of, she’s just really angry and annoyed with me today. I guess I must’ve not spent enough time with her or something.”

“I doubt that,” replied Scarlet.

“What could I have done then?”

“Well think about it this way: this time tomorrow, she’ll be like a puppy in your arms: everything forgotten.”

“Until the next time,” Blue replied gloomily.

“It can’t be that bad surely,” Grey said looking at the pair of them.

“It is,” Scarlet told him in a deadpan voice.

Grey continued his report.

“What’s happened to that cadet now, Brad?” Blue asked, changing the direction of the conversation.

“He’s been sent back to Koala Base. He’ll be fine, nothing major happened. He didn’t die or have to be resuscitated,” Grey replied.

“Why on earth does Cloudbase need cadets on board anyhow?” grumbled Scarlet. “They can be a right nuisance. This is an actual working military environment.”

“Which is why a few are selected to do some ‘work experience’ here,” Blue explained. “Besides they’re not all bad and it was just an accident, that one cadet nearly drowning, it could’ve happened to anyone.”

The conversation descended into an argument between the captains until Scarlet looked at his watch some thirty minutes later.

“The Angels should be switching places now.”

“This is the voice of the Mysterons.”

“Typical timing,” commented Grey, as he stood up. Scarlet and Blue had actually jumped in surprise.

“We know that you can hear us Earthmen, a colour of Spectrum will be reversed, mark our words Spectrum, for a colour shall lose its shade.”

“Now how is that for a cryptic threat?” commented Blue.

“They must be targeting one of us, let’s go to the Control Room and find out what the colonel has to say,” Scarlet said as he picked up his cap and donned it.

The male captains left the lounge just as Lieutenant Green’s voice boomed overhead.

“CAPTAINS SCARLET, BLUE, GREY AND MAGENTA REPORT TO THE CONTROL ROOM IMMEDIATELY ”

“We’re already on our way, Lieutenant, but you wouldn’t know that,” muttered Blue jokily. Scarlet and Grey smirked.

Captain Magenta was already up at the Control Room waiting. Colonel White sat at his desk on which a folder had been abandoned. Obviously White had been reading it before the latest threat had been issued. Lieutenant Green, fresh from his vacation, was checking something on a read-out.

“You heard the threat, Captains?” asked White, as he pushed a button and three seats rose from the floor. They removed their caps, sat down and nodded as White turned to Green. “Lieutenant?”

“I’ve confirmed that sighting, Sir, it was definitely him.”

“Captain Black, sir?” asked Captain Scarlet.

“I’m afraid so, Captain. The Mysterons have made their first move. Captain Black seems to be operating out in the open,” confirmed White.

“Sir, do you reckon the Mysterons have acquired what they need for their threat?” asked Captain Magenta.

“That is my theory exactly, Captain Magenta, but the question is what have they acquired? And which colour will be reversed?”

“I take it the Mysterons mean kill,” said Grey. The others agreed with him readily and shared the same feelings.

“Who will they kill? Reverse the shade? It’s like Russian Roulette,” commented Blue.

“Perhaps they mean when someone loses all colour in their cheeks?” suggested Magenta.

“Or they could be using a metaphorical threat, ‘reverse the shade’ could just mean they’ll make sure that the officer of that particular colour won’t be alive to see another threat,” added Scarlet.

“Colonel, where was Black spotted?” asked Grey.

“The centre of Wrangle, in Lincolnshire, England,” explained White.

“What an unusual name for a place, they must have a lot of animal wranglers there,” joked Magenta. The others shot him looks that shut him up.

“Why there?” asked Scarlet, frustrated. “That’s not exactly an area of great importance or significance.”

“But the perfect area for Black to kill an agent without too much suspicion. We need to get Black now; if he’s got a present for us, we’ll find it,” explained Blue, and the other two agents agreed. Colonel White was also nodding his head in approval.

“This could be our opportunity to capture Captain Black once and for all. Lieutenant Green, alert the two off-duty Angels, and get me Captain Ochre. I want a red alert put out to all bases where colour-coded officers or Angels are based. All officers are to report to their base commander and remain on their base until this threat is over. Any suspicious activity is to be reported immediately and dealt with.”

“SIG, Colonel,” replied Green.

“Captain Scarlet, Captain Blue, Captain Grey, Captain Magenta, it is your job to try and locate Black and stop him at all costs, but be careful, one of us is the target and we don’t know who. I’ll have Angels One, Two and Three observing the surrounding area from the air. Dismissed, and good luck.”

The four captains picked up their caps, stood up and left the Control Room feeling more anxious than ever. They needed to dispose of Captain Black: for the safety of Earth.

“Request launch clearance.”

“Spectrum Is Green, Rhapsody,” replied Lieutenant Green.

Rhapsody urged the SPJ forward, up and off the runway. Symphony Angel sat beside her as her co-pilot. They spied Angel One take off and Harmony Angel soon caught up with them, with Melody in Angel Two, and Destiny in Angel Three.

“ETA twenty-one minutes. I can’t believe we might actually catch him this time.” Rhapsody turned to her fellow Angel. “Are you okay, Karen?”

“Yes, I’m fine, Dianne,” replied Symphony, whose previously glum face suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree. “I just can’t wait to get even with that bastard for what he did to me at that nuclear power station!”

Rhapsody sighed, smiled and waved at Melody who waved back.

“Anything wrong in there, girls?” asked Captain Magenta.

“Nothing, Patrick. We’ll let you know if anything is,” responded Symphony.

“Okay, we’ve just received word; Captain Ochre is on his way to Wrangle too, so we’ll see his ugly mug!”

“What a shame,” chorused the Angels as Rhapsody altered the jet’s course.

“Well?” asked Captain Scarlet impatiently. He was standing beside one of the red SSCs. As agreed, each captain, and the two Angels, had split up an hour before, and were now due to rendezvous in the car park.

“I’ve questioned several people in the shops, Captain Black was definitely here; he apparently walked out of the park and down the high street and left the town,” reported Blue.

“Same result here, Captain,” Grey added.

“Yes, I got that information too, lucky this place is so small. I was also told about a second mysterious person,” Scarlet informed.

“Black’s accomplice no doubt,” Grey speculated.

“That’s what I thought, however I’ve never known a Mysteron agent to act so weird; apparently, she read a newspaper whilst looking around,” Scarlet added.

“Perhaps just a university student then. She might’ve recognised Captain Black from the newspaper and tailed him. However, it could be a bluff, it wouldn’t be the first time the Mysterons have hoodwinked us,” Grey responded.

“Hang on, here are the Angels. I wonder if they have any new information,” Blue said, looking at the approaching vehicle.

A second SSC pulled up alongside Scarlet and Blue, Symphony wound down the window.

“Any luck, Angels?” asked Blue.

“Not much, I'm afraid,” said Rhapsody, as she got out and allowed Symphony to park the car properly. “We were told about a young woman who seemed to be following Black. Two teenage girls told us her behaviour was unusual.”

“Probably relationship problems,” Symphony suggested, as she got out of the SSC. “We got a few details about her, blonde hair, dressed in blue, probably in her early twenties.”

“Sounds like your typical university student,” commented Grey. He made a move to continue looking around. “I’m going to go and see if there are any CCTV cameras around here. Maybe if there are, Black or this woman have been caught on camera. It’s worth a try.”

Scarlet nodded and Grey headed towards the local post office.

“Well, at least we have the correct location if nothing else, and with Captain Ochre and…” Scarlet’s epaulettes flashed ochre.

“S.I.R, we need back-up! We’re in the park!”

The four agents sprinted towards the park. Scarlet and Blue drew their guns and spied rapid movement on the other side of the play equipment.

“Grey! Provide backup here!” Scarlet yelled as the American captain ran to assist. He waited by the gates as Scarlet, Blue and the two Angels headed in.

“Spectrum officers! Stop!” Scarlet shouted but was completely surprised by the scene that met his eyes.

A young, blonde-haired girl brilliantly flipped Captain Ochre over her shoulder, just as Captain Magenta attacked her from behind. The girl countered this, and as Magenta gripped her wrists, she head-butted him before twisting his leg so he went down and bit the dust. Ochre was on to her again, and she successfully high-kicked him to the ground before swinging round to face Scarlet, Blue and the Angels.

“Guys, back off!” barked Rhapsody as she and Symphony approached the girl with intent to pin her to the ground if she made any sudden moves. Scarlet and Blue kept their guns trained on her. She in return gave them all dirty looks.

“It’s okay, we’re Spectrum officers, we’re not going to hurt you,” Rhapsody told the girl who lowered her fists and smiled. Scarlet and Blue declined to lower their weapons while Ochre and Magenta rubbed sore heads and arms and retrieved their weapons that had been separated from them as they attempted to apprehend the girl. Shoving their guns in her face after identifying her had been a very bad idea.

She raised her hands in surrender before introducing herself.

“I’m Tori Hanson.”

Tori decided against telling them she was the Blue Wind Power Ranger. They didn’t need to know, after all two of them had been rather rude to her. They had spotted her near to them and shoved their weapons in her face. They wouldn’t even let her explain who she was. If they’d have been polite, she wouldn’t have used excess force and disarmed them.

Captain Blue didn’t know why, but her name rang a bell, as if he knew her from somewhere. But he was positive this was the first time he’d met her or even heard her name. A little voice inside his head told him that this stranger wasn’t a threat. Part of him wanted to believe that, but the Mysterons were a stealthy and shrewd enemy. Could this young woman really be a Mysteron agent? Her voice sounded normal; fine she’d just taken out Ochre and Magenta, but if she were a Mysteron agent, then why did she surrender so quickly?

“Miss Hanson,” said Captain Blue, “You gave our buddies a scare; we thought they being attacked by…”

“Captain Black? Yeah, I realised that. However, you can see I’m not him,” Tori said. Blue detected something underlying in Tori’s voice: it sounded as if she really wanted to help them capture Black.

Tori moved forward a step and saw the yellow clad officer raise his retrieved weapon.

“Stay right there,” barked Ochre.

The faces of Scarlet and the Angels creased into frowns. Magenta and Ochre looked angry because a girl had just beaten them up and wiped the floor with them.

“I guess you’ve read about him in the papers,” said Blue, a little taken aback.

“Only just, I guess eye witnesses told you that,” she said, lowering her hands.

“Put your hands back up where we can see them!” Scarlet ordered. “Angels, search her for weapons.”

“Do you really think I’m armed? Do I really look like a bad guy?” Tori asked them as the Angels started searching. Tori knew she would be armed if she dared morph into her uniform. It was a very bad idea given the circumstances.

“She’s unarmed,” Symphony reported as she and Rhapsody backed off, hands still on their weapons but they kept them lowered.

“See that blue circle over there,” Tori said, indicating it with a nod of her head, being careful to keep her hands up.

The Spectrum officers all looked at it, a faint pale-blue circle was just about visible in the air.

“What the blazes?” asked Magenta, starting to walk towards it.

“Magenta! Don’t!” barked Scarlet.

“This will sound like something Agents Scully and Mulder should be investigating but that is a time vortex, a link to my time, the year 2003,” Tori clarified,

Scarlet scrutinised her. She seemed to be telling the truth.

“Who are Agents Scully and Mulder?” Symphony whispered to Rhapsody.

“Two FBI agents from a very old TV series,” Rhapsody whispered back.

“Oh.”

“I know it sounds crazy, but your guy, Captain Black, travelled back in time to dig up something buried there, - the Hardar Rock. Don’t ask me what it is because I’d never heard of it, or seen it, before I saw him extract it from the ground. After that, a disembodied voice told him to report on his mission, the Mysterons, that’s what they called themselves. Anyway, a vortex opened and brought him here. I accidentally got sucked in too, the vortex was extremely powerful, now I’m stuck here, hopefully temporarily, but my hypothesis is that I need the rock to travel back to my time, and then I’ll bury it, never to be seen again in my lifetime.”

The Spectrum officers looked astonished, staring at Tori in disbelief now. Was she telling the truth? It was like something out of a badly done science fiction movie. However, things stranger than fiction had happened concerning the Mysterons. But could Tori just be a Mysteron diversion for Black?

“How do we know you’re telling the truth? That you’re not a…”

“Please! You have to believe me, that vortex, it really did bring me here, and if I were the enemy, why would I tell you what I told you?”

“To send us off track,” suggested Ochre, annoyed by Tori interrupting him.

“What proof do you need I’m not a Mysteron?” Tori asked.

“Stay where you are!” Scarlet barked at her. He activated his mic. “Captain Grey? Get the detector from the SPV and bring it into the park. We need it urgently.”

“SIG, Captain Scarlet.”

Tori looked highly agitated and annoyed. Scarlet also detected fear within Tori. He then noticed something; his sixth sense hadn’t triggered. It seemed probable she was human, but his sixth sense wasn’t always accurate and had failed to detect Mysteron agents before. He wasn’t about to start taking chances.

Blue spared the Angels a glance. They looked relatively convinced Tori was human but hkept their weapons out as a precaution. He himself was nearly fully convinced that Tori was just as human as he was, but the Mysterons could be sly. In the past, they had used exploding agents, and he remembered the threat. But he felt that an exploding agent wasn’t what the Mysterons had in mind this time round. At that moment Grey showed up with the detector and took a shot of Tori.

Grey looked at the camera intently as he waited for the image to appear. It popped up and Grey had a good look at it.

“Negative result, she’s human alright,” Grey informed the others. They all lowered their weapons and put them away.

Tori breathed a sigh of relief as she put her hands down, grateful that the Spectrum officers were now fully convinced of her humanity, if not of her origin.

“I apologise for the inconvenience Miss Hanson,” Scarlet told her. “But the Mysterons are a sly enemy. Spectrum can’t take risks.”

“I understand, don’t worry,” Tori replied.

The tension evaporated quickly. Grey returned the detector to the SPV while Magenta and Ochre checked out the vortex.

“We’d better have the park closed immediately,” Ochre told the others. “The vortex might draw unwarranted attention.”

“But wouldn’t that action itself draw attention?” asked Tori.

“That’s a good point,” Blue added. “Besides, the vortex isn’t easy to see; it’s too sunny to see it clearly.”

“And it’s not as if people go vortex hunting every day,” Tori stated.

Now Scarlet approached the vortex.

“The question is why travel back in the first place to get that rock?”

“I read in today’s newspaper that a museum in Manchester had been destroyed in an arson attack. The archaeologists and scientists were really upset, and there was something about a strange rock with amazing powers that they were getting round to examining. It took them ages to transport it from the excavation site to the museum,” Tori told him.

“I think we all read about that museum,” Rhapsody said with a smile. “The Mysterons must’ve been planning this in advance, but when the museum was destroyed, they were forced to change their tactics, so instead…”

“They travelled back to my time, probably because that was when the Hardar Rock was at its strongest or easiest to locate, and took it but didn’t expect it to cause their vortex to stabilise and remain active.” Tori continued.

“Miss Hanson, are you sure that this rock, the Hardar Rock, is what Captain Black has in his possession?” Captain Scarlet asked Tori as he approached.

Tori nodded. “Yes, and we’re wasting time by standing here. I’ve searched this area thoroughly, and he’s not here, and seeing that I don’t have any transportation of my own, I haven’t been able to tail him. Wait!”

The officers looked at Tori in confusion. Tori exhaled sharply, apparently annoyed at herself for forgetting something.

“Skegness! That’s where Black’s heading. The Mysterons told him to go there and await further orders.”

“Are you sure?” asked Blue.

“Yes. Absolutely. They told him once he was through the time vortex he should go to Skegness and await further orders.”

“Right,” Scarlet began, “Everyone return to the vehicles, I’ll alert Colonel White to the situation. Miss Hanson, you’d better stay with us, seeing as you’re directly involved with this threat.”

“What threat?” asked Tori.

Scarlet looked dumbfounded for a very brief second.

“The Angels will inform you of any other information, Miss Hanson,” Scarlet replied.

Tori agreed and the officers and Power Ranger headed out of the park. Rhapsody and Symphony walked alongside Tori who couldn’t help feeling uneasy around the Spectrum officers. As Tori walked alongside Symphony Angel, she spied Captain Scarlet whispering to Captain Blue.

“Did you notice anything unusual, Adam? Anything odd about Tori?”

“Apart from the fact that she threw a full grown man over her shoulder, nothing.”

There was something else. That feeling of familiarity hadn’t left Blue alone. He tried raking his memories for any indications he had seen Tori before or seen someone like her. He knew something was there, he just didn’t know what.

“A young woman in her early twenties took down two of Spectrum’s finest officers; she did indeed throw Captain Ochre over her shoulder with ease. That can only come from training of some sort. Although I admit it was funny, that’s beside the point. She might not be a Mysteron agent but Tori is hiding something from us. I can tell, and what about that fancy thing on her left arm? I’ve never seen anything of the kind.”

“I confess, I believe she has had some training; let’s question her about it now.” Blue turned his head to look at Tori who was now quite happily talking to Symphony and Rhapsody. “Miss Hanson.”

“Yes, Captain Blue? Um, Symphony just told me your rank. That is okay isn't it?”

“That’s fine, but can you answer something for me?” Blue replied with a smile.

“I don’t mind,” replied the female Blue Ranger. She had a nagging suspicion that her morpher was about to be questioned, along with her fighting techniques, by the male officers. It wasn’t every day a girl showed the strength to flip a man twice her size over her shoulder as if he were a teddy bear.

“Have you had any training? Like martial arts training or something along those lines? It’s just that you succeeded in wiping out Captains Ochre and Magenta really quickly.”

“And fantastically too, your speed was overwhelming,” added Magenta, while Ochre flared his nostrils and snorted like an angry bull.

“I’m a student at the Wind Ninja Academy; I’m trained in Karate and Judo, and various self-defence techniques,” Tori explained, nodding her head at Magenta’s praise.

“Like my water-based techniques that earned me the Blue Wind Ranger morpher, but like I’m going to tell you that!” she thought to herself, unaware that she was hiding the device on her left arm behind her back.

“That’s pretty cool, Tori, what else do you know?” asked Magenta with increased curiosity.

“That’s basically it, but I’m training to use a Samurai sword and how to avoid getting gravely injured by one too,” Tori explained openly. She knew that her morpher would be next on the firing line.

“And I guess that the decorative arm piece is a symbol of your training?” queried Rhapsody Angel, homing in to what Captain Blue was doing.

“No, this is a family remembrance; my brother worked with marine life, he was killed when a shark attacked him, and now I wear this to honour his name. He studied whales mostly, hence the whale tail,” Tori lied quickly. It seemed to work. The Angels gave her sympathetic looks along with Magenta, Grey, Ochre and Blue. Scarlet’s face remained hidden, but he did speak when he turned round.

“Sorry to hear that, Miss Hanson.”

“It happened a few years ago, I got over it.”

Why did Blue have the inkling that decorative piece did something other than look pretty?

"Is it just a decoration or does it do something?" Blue asked.

Tori was prepared for this.

"It used to, but the batteries died and I've never got round to replacing them. It used to play a recording of humpback whale singing, but not anymore."

"Okay," replied Blue. He guessed his imagination had gone into overdrive.

They had now reached the two SSCs parked up alongside the SPV Captain Ochre had driven.

Scarlet and Blue went in the first SSC, while Symphony and Rhapsody got Tori into their red saloon car. She noticed the SPV, looked at Symphony, raised her eyebrows in bewilderment, and then looked back at the SPV. It looked like a tank, but tanks ran on both wheels and caterpillar tracks, not just wheels.

“It’s an SPV,” Symphony explained. “Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle.”

“It looks clumsy,” commented Tori.

“Well, it’s not,” Grey told her.

“I don’t think I like the future,” Tori whispered.

Tori couldn't believe SPV; she had frequent contact with advanced technology in her own time and the SPV looked nowhere near as advanced!

However, Tori reminded herself, Power Rangers were an urban legend. They always had been. Tori herself had considered Power Rangers an urban legend before becoming one: all of her team had (apart from one), but now she couldn’t imagine her life not being a Power Ranger.

.

Flying low over the region, Harmony Angel started yet another sweep of the area. She had decided to widen the search area following an unconfirmed sighting by Destiny on the outskirts of the search area.

“Angel One, this is Angel Two.”

“Go ahead, Melody,”

“I’ve looked over the area again, hon. No sign of Black,” replied Melody.

“He’s around here somewhere. Maybe there is a new development Colonel White is soon to tell us of,” Harmony replied, trying to cheer up her fellow Angel.

“Maybe. I’ll swing round and have another look.”

“SIG, Melody.”

Harmony adjusted her course by a couple of degrees just as her epaulettes bleeped.

“Yes, Colonel White?”

“Any sightings, Harmony?”

“Negative, Colonel, we are-” Harmony saw something out of the corner of her eye.

“What is it, Harmony?”

“Give me a few seconds, Colonel.”

Harmony swung her aircraft lower, changing course to head back the way she had came. She scanned the beach below her intensively before spotting her prey.

“Colonel. I’ve located Captain Black. He is in Skegness, on the beach. Positive identification.”

“Excellent work, Harmony. Remain in the area and standby.”

“SIG.”

“Well, that’s the situation, Colonel. We’re en route to Skegness now,” Captain Scarlet finished reporting.

“Very well, Captain Scarlet. How is the girl? Tori Hanson, you said her name was?”

“Yes, sir. She’s managing as well as one would away from their own time. Lucky this area is quite rural. She’s with Symphony and Rhapsody Angels, she hasn’t asked many questions, but she knows about the Mysterons, Sir.”

“As you said, Captain, however I believe we can trust Miss Hanson to keep her mouth shut. If all she wants is to get home, we can’t do much about that. If we keep her here in the future, we might be doing something catastrophic; she might be needed in the past, and as you mentioned, she’s a fighter of sorts in training. And remember, Captains, she heard about the Mysterons in her OWN time, we can’t do anything about that.”

“Have you found any information on Tori, sir?” asked Blue hopefully.

“Lieutenant Green is near positive he’s located her in the history data files. Based on your information, if it is her, then she does come from the year 2003; she would’ve been twenty years of age, and indeed, in a ninja academy.”

“Sounds like our girl,” replied Scarlet.

“Excellent, Captain. Lieutenant Green is just double-checking her file.” The captains waited while White got the information fromGreen. “Ah, here you are, Captains: her full name is Tori Hanson, place of birth City of Blue Bay Harbour, and she is still alive today, 86 years of age, and currently living in Australia. Her grand daughter is competing in surfing tournaments there. I recommend you keep this information to yourselves, Captains, we can’t afford to alter the timeline.”

“Agreed, sir. We’re in Skegness now, let’s hope we’re in time,” replied Blue.

“Angel Leader contacted me just before I called you, and confirms that Black is on the beach. The Angels are maintaining visual contact. I advise caution, Captain Scarlet, Captain Blue. If our guest from the past knows no more about this rock than we do, then we have no idea of its true power, and, if it is the Hardar Rock that was destroyed in the museum fire a couple of days ago, then it must be something the Mysterons were determined to acquire for this threat. They were willing to go to extreme lengths to take possession of it. We can’t take any chances, this rock is likely to be extremely dangerous, and in Captain Black’s hands, God knows what will happen.”

“Understood, sir,” Scarlet acknowledged.

“Colonel, if this rock, the Hardar Rock, is extremely powerful, then can we safely assume that Captain Scarlet is the intended victim?” asked Captain Blue, knowing exactly how the colonel would respond.

“I hate to say this, Captain Blue, but yes, I believe so. Why else would the Mysterons go to so much trouble?”

There was an awkward silence as Scarlet and Blue exchanged a worried glance.

“Captain Scarlet, Captain Blue, be careful on this one, we’re completely in the dark, despite a helping hand from Miss Hanson.”

“SIG, sir,” they chorused, as their cap mics went up and out of the way.

Suddenly Scarlet cursed, and for a second lost control of the car. He quickly pulled over and brought the car to a halt, putting his hands on his face.

“Paul, what’s wrong?” asked Blue, putting a hand on his shoulder. He didn’t get a response, nor did he need one, he could tell that Scarlet had detected a Mysteron agent. Experience had taught him well.

“Black. On the beach, he’s strong, really strong. It must be that rock. It must have special powers. He’s planning to kill me, Adam. I can feel it, but without the rock, he’s helpless, and then the Mysterons will take him back. Our guest, Tori, must take the rock back to her time, Adam. Once there, the Mysterons won’t use it again.” Scarlet then passed out, his head slumped onto the steering wheel.

The SPV containing Ochre and Grey had stopped further on ahead with the SSC driven by Magenta. Blue watched as his fellow officers moved out from their vehicles and proceeded to head for the beach. Blue turned to look at his partner who was still out of it. He didn’t see Captain Magenta run towards his and Scarlet’s SSC until Magenta had reached the bonnet. Blue opened the window.

“We’ve got a visual on Black; he’s down on the beach,” Magenta informed him. “There is a thin green glow surrounding him and he’s got that rock Tori told us about. He’s got the rock mounted on a staff. I hate to say this, but I don’t think the electron rifle is going to be enough to stop him on this occasion. Captain Grey’s going to monitor the situation from the SPV and keep one at hand just in case... Scarlet? Are you okay?”

Captain Scarlet came round quickly and lifted his head, wiping away the sweat on his forehead. “I’m fine, just a little nauseous, must be this close proximity to Black.”

At that, the male officers noticed Symphony, Tori and Rhapsody run past, Tori leading the way. Scarlet snapped to his senses, yanked off his seatbelt and belted out of the car like a bat out of hell. Blue, Ochre and Magenta followed the trio of girls as they bolted down the steps towards the beach.

Black was within their sights. Scarlet, Blue and Magenta reached for their guns, training them on Black. Captain Ochre appeared with an electron rifle. Suddenly, Black started laughing at them - a loud, mechanical laugh.

“With the power of the Hardar Rock, your weapons are useless against me!” his voice boomed. To make a point he sent an electrical charge through the electron rifle, causing it to start overloading. Ochre dropped the rifle as the group scattered away from the weapon. The weapon exploded in a large white flash. Blue covered Scarlet with his body as they hit the sand.

“You alright, Paul?” he asked, jumping to his feet and helping his partner up.

“Never been better!”

“Shit!” swore Magenta, taking note of Black’s appearance; he certainly looked healthier with the rock in his possession.

“Guns maybe, but just wait until I get my hands on you!” snarled Symphony as she lunged in for an attack, fists at the ready. But before she got within feet of Black, a previously invisible force field sent her flying several feet in the air, causing her to crash-land in a heap.

“SYMPHONY!”

The Spectrum officers and Tori ran to her aid. Black started to approach them. Magenta emptied five rounds into Black but the bullets turned before they hit their target and went for Captain Magenta instead.

“PATRICK!”

Scarlet shoved his fellow captain out of the way, with a millisecond to spare, taking one bullet in his right leg. Scarlet yelped as the injured leg hit the sand dunes and sand particles clogged the wound up. Magenta, Ochre and Rhapsody swiftly picked him up off the sand, supporting him so he could take the pressure off his leg, as blood started to flow from the wound. Blue and Tori went to help Symphony, but she declined their assistance in standing up.

“You evil son of a…”

Rhapsody never finished her sentence as an energy blast sent her flying backwards, and she landed heavily on the steps she’d just thundered down. Ochre and Symphony went to her, both noticing a black mark that stained her shoulder where the blast had hit her hardest. She struggled to get up.

“Rhapsody!” yelled Scarlet as he ran over, ignoring the pain in his leg and shaking off Magenta. He knelt down to help her to her knees, wrapping her in his arms, trying to protect her from something he couldn’t.

“I’m alright,” she assured him. She clutched her shoulder. “Just a little sore.”

“Just keep still,” he whispered, before looking at Black, glaring at him.

Black suddenly turned his attention to the road where the SPV was. Captain Grey was standing there with another electron rifle. He’d been watching the scene unfold swiftly and decided to take action. He couldn’t just let his fellow officers and an ally take a battering. Black smirked before sending an electrical charge through the rifle he was holding. Grey felt weapon going into overload, dropped it and ran, getting clear only just in time. He tried his cap mic as he hit the road.

“Cloudbase, This is Captain Grey, SIR, come in please.”

Static.

Grey swore loudly.

Black could be heard laughing as he continued his walk towards the agents. Ochre, Tori and Blue stood their ground and raised their fists for a fight, but almost casually Black gestured and created a massive displacement wave, that sent all of them flying through the air and they crash-landed in a tangled heap. Black continued a slow walk towards them. Scarlet yelped as Blue’s full weight came down on his injured leg. He forced himself away from the others, letting go of Rhapsody’s hands.

Grey charged at Black from the road but with a lazy flick, Grey got knocked aside. He rose to his feet quickly and drew his weapon, firing several shots. Black made a sudden gesture and sent the bullets flying back towards Grey. Grey hit the deck and managed to avoid them.

“Enough child’s play,” Black told him.

Without warning, Grey was hovering in the air. Black smirked at the officer as he made a casual gesture and sent Grey flying. He landed on top of the others. The wind was driven out of him. He swore again as the others groaned and grunted from the impact.

“Now your turn, Captain Scarlet,” Black said in a booming dead voice, as Captain Scarlet quickly rose to his feet, grunting in pain.

“What the hell?” Ochre started to say. His peripheral vision caught sight of other movement but he ignored it.

“Scarlet!”

“Scarlet! What are you doing?” gasped Magenta.

“It isn’t me!” Scarlet replied, through clenched teeth. He felt a weird sensation in his legs and at that moment they started moving but he wasn’t in control. They were taking him nearer to Black, refusing Scarlet’s mental commands to halt and go back, or collapse to the floor. He felt the sensation spreading throughout his body, invading him.

“Paul! What are you doing?!” cried Rhapsody. She picked up a rock and lobbed it at Black. It harmlessly bounced off him.

From behind him Scarlet heard his friends cry out as Black used some sort of force on them. It was torturing them! In horror, Scarlet realised he couldn’t speak, he couldn’t turn his head, his mental commands were being shoved into the background, with new orders being issued into his head by Captain Black. He was helpless, trapped inside his own body.

Black reached out his hand to touch Scarlet’s face. Scarlet was overwhelmed with sharp stinging pain, but he couldn’t cry out in agony at being so close to Black. Electrical energy jabbed him over and over. It was then he realised some of the Hardar Rock's other abilities; not only did it open time vortexs, it allowed a person to use electrical energy as a form of psychic weaponry while being completely protected! As Black attacked him deeper and penetrated his mind further, taking away all that he was, he heard Black’s voice in his head.

“A colour of Spectrum will be reversed, Scarlet will no longer be a colour within Spectrum. The Mysterons can’t have you back, so no one can have you, Captain Scarlet.” The electrical stings coursing through Scarlet’s paralysed body grew stronger with each passing microsecond: stinging him over and over, he felt himself becoming distant, as Black’s hand touched his face…

SPLASH! The connection was broken. Scarlet fell onto the sand exhausted, gasping for breath. He heard footsteps and Captain Blue collapsed alongside him. He heard a THUMP! as Black landed roughly on the sand, feet away, flat on his back. A shadow stepped in front of them.

“Hey! No one does that to anyone while I’m around!”

“Tori!”

Blue helped Scarlet sit up as they looked at the girl in front of them. They noticed Black crumpled on the sand diagonally away from them. He quickly got back on his feet as Tori moved away from Scarlet and Blue.

“Tori! Don’t take him on, you’re just a kid!” yelled Ochre, as he got to his feet and joined Scarlet and Blue.

“You don’t know me, Captain Ochre,” Tori told him as she stuck her left arm straight out in front of her.

Now she felt content, finishing off what she had planned to begin. Stopping evil was what a Power Ranger did best, and if it meant blowing her cover, then so be it! She’d do anything to get that rock back. She smiled at Black as he realised who she was and where she was from.

“You! You’re one of…”

Tori never let him finish his sentence. She placed her right hand at a right angle and touched the side of her morpher.

“NINJA STORM, RANGER FORM!”

The Spectrum officers watched in bewilderment as pale-blue energy swirled, wrapping itself around Tori, then there was a pale blue flash of such intensity, they were forced to shield their eyes for a brief second. Shock took over as Tori re-emerged, dressed head to toe in a blue and silver-grey uniform!

“Who…what the devil…Tori? What the hell is she?” exclaimed Ochre.

“I knew that device had another purpose other than decoration,” muttered Scarlet.

“Well, that’s something you don’t see everyday,” Grey commented.

“You’re telling me,” Rhapsody replied.

It suddenly clicked for Captain Blue. He smiled, finally remembering when he’d heard her name before. It was from an old television show: Power Rangers Ninja Storm. Blue had watched the series many times as a child, and he remembered embarrassingly that he’d actually had a crush on Tori. She was the Blue Ranger, and the only female Power Ranger on the team.

“Tori Hanson, Blue Wind Ranger,” he muttered.

“What?” asked Scarlet.

“That’s what Tori is, she’s a Power Ranger. I thought they were just urban myths fiction, but obviously, they’re not.”

“How do you know about these Power Rangers?” asked Scarlet.

“I watched the episodes as a child. Power Rangers were TV characters, or so I thought. There were many teams. Tori is from the Ninja Storm team. Oh, it all makes sense now, why I recognised her name, why I felt as if I knew her. I did know her.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you thought you recognised her?”

“I drew attention to her morpher didn't I?”

Blue took in her appearance. It was just as he remembered it from his childhood, except this was for real. Tori’s uniform was a similar shade to his Spectrum uniform. She looked gracefully deadly, if the large sword on her back was anything to go by. She stood ready to attack at a second’s notice.

She had succeeded in driving Captain Black away from them, and Captain Ochre replayed in his mind how she did it the first time. She’d put her hands together and a jet of water had emerged, giving him and the other officers the full realisation of her training: she used water-based moves, plus the normal self-defence techniques. He subconsciously rubbed an elbow. How could he forget that confrontation?

“A Power Ranger!” Black snarled at the blue clad figure in front of him.

Scarlet let out a small croak as Black stiffened. Before he could make a move, Tori was on to him as quick as a tsunami. She reached for the sword on her back and brought it speedily down on Black, causing him to drop the staff with the rock on it and back off. Tori took another swing, slashing him across the stomach. Black yelped as Tori attacked again and again, driving him further and further away from the Spectrum officers - and from the Hardar Rock.

With brutal determination, Symphony ran and grabbed the rock, separating it from the staff, and in a moment of sheer instinct, she swung the rock forward, but didn’t let it go. A huge energy wave attacked Black and sent him flying. He yelled a violent curse at her.

“Take that, you bastard!” yelled Symphony.

Tori took note of Symphony’s words then spoke words of her own, raising her sword into the air.

“I’ve never liked people like you, Captain Black.”

“You will never succeed, Earth Ranger!” Black sniped back at her.

Tori lowered her weapon and offered him an ultimatum; it wasn’t in her blood to leave a job unfinished, she would help the Spectrum officers.

“Surrender or take the consequences,” Tori told him.

Black made a move and tried to take her out. Tori thwarted him.

“You asked for it!” Tori sheathed her sword and once again cupped her hands together, producing a fast and furious water jet that slammed Black into the sand. She repeated her attack, this time sending him flying into the waves several metres out. She made a leap and reached a height only a Power Ranger could reach, before she, too, disappeared below the surface.

Tori watched as Black struggled in the depths of the water. Her sword came back into play as she took it out of its sheath on her back. She charged Black, as if running through air, hitting him full force with the sword. He got blasted into deeper water before finally the Mysterons retrieved him. His form faded out until he disappeared.

For the last time the sword went away. She stood there underwater, thinking about the future, how it was, and then remembered something: Symphony had helped her out, she had used the rock, an artefact from a time before her own, to help her. Then Tori thought about something else. Something she said out loud.

“What will become of the Blue Wind Ranger morpher?” For a few brief seconds, she stood there underneath the waves and she smiled as an idea swam into her head.

Captain Blue cradled the now unconscious Captain Scarlet in his arms. He and the others all had suffered various minor injuries from being thrown around like rag dolls, and from being controlled by force fields, and they sat together, regaining their strength, looking out to the waves and beyond, hunting for signs of Black or Tori. The bullet wound in Scarlet’s leg had become so clogged up with sand, that it had stopped bleeding.

Slowly, they collectively noticed something pale-blue appearing in the water, but were too tired to be surprised by Tori’s latest trick. She walked across the water’s surface - a miracle - but they had all realised the same thing by now: Tori’s powers were water-based, so that ruined the surprise in itself.

As soon as she set foot on land where the gentle waves couldn’t touch, she morphed down, touching a button on her morpher. The uniform broke up in dozens of pieces that disappeared in seconds, returning her to her normal blue clothes.

“Everyone okay?” she asked them, quickly kneeling down and checking Captain Scarlet’s neck for a pulse. Captain Blue couldn’t help but smile.

“We’re perfectly fine, Tori, well, we’ll all live anyway,” replied Captain Ochre jokily as he flopped out on the warm sand.

The group shared a joint chuckle as Blue reached out and patted Tori’s shoulder. “Well done, Tori, that was fantastic. Now I wish I’d been born around your time, just to see a Power Ranger in the news every once in a while,” said Blue tiredly.

“Thanks, but we prefer to remain as big a secret as possible,” she said quietly, blushing a little. “Thanks to all of you for believing in me enough to let me tag along, I’m honoured to have met such fine military officers.”

“Aw shucks, we couldn’t have done it without you, Tori,” Magenta responded as the young Blue Ranger helped him to his feet. “Just don’t kick my butt again, last time wasn’t funny!”

“It wasn’t exactly what I wanted to happen to me on this mission,” added Ochre

“The joke was on the joker,” Symphony told him.

“Hey! It could’ve happened to anyone!” argued Ochre

Captain Grey’s epaulettes bleeped and flashed white. His mic dropped into place.

“Come in, Captain Grey. Come in,” came Colonel White’s voice over the radio.

“I hear you loud and clear, Colonel. The situation is under control. We’re just cleaning up the scene now.”

“Understood, Captain. What is the status of Captain Black?”

Grey turned to look at Tori who mouthed to him “escaped”.

“He got away, sir. The Mysterons must’ve pulled him out when things turned ugly for him.”

“SIG. Signal Cloudbase when you’re on your way home.”

“SIG,” replied Grey wearily.

On Cloudbase, Lieutenant Green was informing Colonel White of some new information. He had done some further research into the Hardar Rock.

“Apparently, Colonel, archaeologists and scientists reckon the Hardar Rock isn’t alone, but is one of several special rocks. Apparently one is supposed to be able to give a human indestructibility. ”

“I have enough trouble with ONE indestructible man,” grumbled White.

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt Captain Blue to possess that rock if it exists.”

“There is problem relating to that rock, Sir,”

“What?”

“And all the others, apparently.”

“And what might that be, Lieutenant?”

“The rocks are allegedly cursed. A tablet was recently found and it told of a form of insanity relating to the rocks. Apparently extended use of the rocks caused this and it was the reason why the rocks were separated and hidden in various locations around the world.”

“I hope the Mysterons don’t find them first,” muttered White as he continued reading the report on his desk.

The sun started to set over Wrangle as the Spectrum officers, plus one Blue Ranger, made their way back to the park. Near the play equipment, a pale blue vortex had opened up fully and offered a sight into the inside; a mass of swirling black and pale blue. The group stopped a few metres away from it, and the tired Blue Ranger stepped forward a metre more. She smiled before turning around.

“Here,” said Symphony, giving Tori the Hardar Rock. The black, shiny rock would be buried back in its hole in 2003, to be found and destroyed in 2069.

“Thank you, Symphony. Hey guys, I’m sorry I lied about being a Power Ranger.”

“Don’t worry about it,” said an exhausted Scarlet, who was leaning heavily on Captain Blue and Rhapsody Angel. “We’d all have done the same if we were in your position.”

“Before you go,” Ochre started, “you might as well tell us more about yourself. Who are the Power Rangers, and how on earth did you end up becoming one? Blue told us that you’re supposed to be an urban legend.”

Tori smiled. “Alright then. Well, believe it or not, but at one point, I thought the Power Rangers were just an urban legend.”

“You are joking,” gasped Rhapsody.

“No. I’m not. All of us except one of my friends believed they were just urban legends.”

“Who did believe in them?” asked Magenta

“My fellow Ranger, Dustin. But after our academy was attacked and destroyed by Lother, our nemesis, we did believe. The Sensei gave me and my two close friends, Shane and Dustin, the Power Ranger morphers.” She gestured to her morpher on her left arm. “We were best so we got picked. We’re all trained in different techniques and that decided what morpher we were given and what Ranger we became. I was given this one because of my water-based training.”

“So we noticed,” noted Magenta.

“Dustin is a master in underground fighting techniques, and so he was given Yellow Wind Ranger morpher. That is a lion.”

“Lions don’t live underground,” Rhapsody pointed out.

“Dustin gets his power from the earth,” Tori explained further.

“And the lion is considered the king of the beasts. That’s understandable,” Blue said. He was tired as the others.

“Shane has mastered high flying ninja techniques, and he became Red Ranger, which is symbolised by a hawk.”

“And you’ve mastered water techniques so you became Blue Ranger and that is symbolised by a dolphin,” finished Grey.

“Exactly.”

Blue shuffled the injured Scarlet trying to stop him from putting excess pressure on his injured leg. The captain had regained consciousness while Blue and Rhapsody were cleaning his leg wound and now he was waiting for his retrometabolism to kick in and heal the injury.

“Well, I suppose we should be celebrating. The Mysterons made a mess of it this time. I guess they hadn’t counted on Black making mistakes, or a Power Ranger coming into the future and stopping their plans of killing Scarlet,” Magenta piped up.

“You have to be joking, Magenta. I want to get some sleep,” barked Ochre.

That started an argument between the pair, which was quite amusing for the others.

“Is that normal, Captain?” Tori asked Scarlet.

“Perfectly,” Scarlet told her.

“I owe you one, Tori,” Scarlet said quietly.

“Forget it, it won’t do me any good.” She looked at all the officers. “When I get back to 2003, I will bury this thing and forget it ever existed,” she said with a gesture to the rock.

“Best thing for it,” said Blue wearily as Ochre and Magenta finished arguing. Tori agreed with a nod of her head.

“Well, guys, I guess this is goodbye.”

“Guess so,” responded Ochre. “It was funny though, I mean seeing Magenta’s face when you kicked his arse,” he quickly added when the others gave him disbelieving looks.

“And vice versa,” huffed Magenta, who then chuckled.

“You both had it coming,” warned Tori.

As she and Symphony hugged each other goodbye, Tori whispered to her “When I’ve gone, look over by that tree.”

Tori pointed to an old tree near to the vortex.

Symphony gave her a puzzled look.

“Do you think you’ll still be alive in this year?” asked Magenta.

“I hope so. Maybe I’ll write a letter,” Tori replied.

She started walking towards the vortex. As she reached it, she turned round and waved before holding up the Hardar Rock that was in her left hand. The vortex opened and revealed its true size and surprising beauty. It was a large spiralling mass of electric blue and black energy. A second later Tori was pulled inside in a flash of bright light. The vortex closed behind her with a small pale blue flash.

“Goodbye,” whispered Symphony.

The excited shouts of children somewhere at the other end of the park and the calls of birds filled the gap that Tori’s exit had left.

On a lonely stretch of beach, a storm was threatening to break. Thunder could be heard mere miles away and lightning could be seen flashing through the moody sky.

No one saw the bright flash of pale blue light- the opening of a vortex, a mass of swirling pale blue and black, and no one saw the young woman exit it and end up in a heap on the sand.

Tori landed back in 2003 near to the giant hole Captain Black had dug earlier. She got to her feet and turned just in time to watch as the vortex vanished from existence, closing the time tunnel between her year and the one she had been in. Tired and weary, she sighed with relief.

She eagerly jumped down into the massive hole, dug the bottom of the hole a little deeper with the shovel that had been abandoned and deposited the Hardar Rock at the bottom, before covering it over. She climbed out and stood next to the huge mass of dug out sand, put her hands together and produced a blast of water that caused the sand to move into the giant hole, thus covering the infernal rock that had caused so much grief in the future.

“That’s that done,” she said, dusting off her hands before continuing from where she left off on her walk.

“Hey, Tori!”

“Uh-oh! Blake’s found me! I wish Captain Scarlet could get me out of this one! Hello, Blake. Where have you been? Up town?”

“Yeah, what about you?” the dark-haired Blake asked his female teammate.

“Oh, y’know, to the future and beyond.”

“Ha, ha, very funny, Tori,” he laughed, wrapping his arm around her, which Tori promptly removed.

“Maybe I won’t tell Cam after all, would seem a shame to reveal my adventure.”

In the year 2069, the Spectrum officers watched the vortex vanish. They stood still for a few seconds, just thinking about the day’s events, before Symphony moved towards the old tree Tori had pointed out. She looked around it, much to everyone’s confusion. Then she spotted something and started digging.

“Uh? Symphony, you’re not a dog,” joked Ochre. This earned him a dirty look off Blue.

“What’s up, Symphony?” asked Rhapsody, approaching her teammate as she extracted a box from the ground.

The others crowded round as Symphony opened the box. Inside was a scroll done up with blue ribbon. Symphony unravelled the scroll and read it out loud.

Symphony Angel,

I have never ever forgotten about you after all these years. Knowing that you weren’t even born yet when I was your age. It felt strange at the time, leaving this buried for someone who hadn’t even been born yet to find, but nevertheless, what happened in your past and my future happened. I am now an old woman, and it is your choice or not if you wish to track me down or not. My memory is perfect, and the time I spent in 2069 will forever be with me. I buried the morpher here, where I knew you would find it.

During the time between me returning to my present and now, the morpher was lost once. If you remember me telling you about Lother, then you’ll understand. Lother stole my powers. In the end, he was defeated but he took my powers with him. However I regained my powers a few years later when I was needed in the future to help another Ranger. I became the Blue Wind Power Ranger again, but there can only be one Ranger team at a time, however there are cases of Power Rangers travelling back in time to seek the help of their predecessors, like what happened to me.

There is something, I feel I should tell you, concerning what happened that day. During my fight with Captain Black, we went underwater, the Mysterons beamed him away, and I couldn’t prevent that. I tried to defeat him but the Mysterons are sly rats. That I learned well.

But it made me think, whilst under there. What would happen to the morpher after I grew too old to use it? The fact is I chose you to have the morpher next, fine you do not possess the true powers and my academy no longer exists.

No more ninjas are trained to do the feats I did, but that doesn’t stop a new Blue Wind Power Ranger rising to succeed their predecessor. You have it within you to master the use of the sword and for sure in due time, the ninja moves too. I couldn’t think of a better person to have it. When I was younger, I double-checked Wrangle, travelled many miles to bury the morpher here, like I promised you. So now, I leave in your ownership, the Blue Wind Ranger morpher. Proof that Power Rangers are not just urban legends.

Take good care of yourself

Tori

Blue Wind Power Ranger

“My gosh,” muttered Rhapsody.

From the small box, Symphony removed the Blue Wind Ranger morpher. She smiled, then looked at the others.

“Tori wanted to pass this on to someone, someone who could be trusted. I’m honoured she elected me.”

“It will certainly make an interesting report, Symphony,” a weary Scarlet told her.

“The female shade of blue, how fitting, we already have the male shade,” said Rhapsody merrily, causing both Blue and Symphony to blush as they made eye contact, as they realised the coincidence of the colour.

“Please tell me you didn’t tell Tori about us,” whispered Blue as he held down a gulp. Symphony winked at him.

“Pure coincidence, my dear Adam,” she told him, before packing up the morpher for transport to Cloudbase.

“Hey guys?” asked Magenta, “Do you reckon we have a Power Ranger team in our time or what?”

“From what Tori has written, I’d say so,” Symphony said with a sparkle in her eye.

If only they knew how corrupt that team was…

“Sometimes what is in the past should remain in the past and sometimes what is in the past should go to the future.”

- Anon

The Writer Writes Once More

I would like to thank Marion Woods, Chris Bishop and Hazel Köhler for taking the time to beta-read The Female Shade Of Blue. This has been my hardest fan fiction to date. I've had various problems with it, ranging from writer's block, numerous computer problems and so on and so forth. I greatly appreciate the help these incredible people gave me throughout this project. I would also like to thank my friends Rachael and Sasha for their help in the early days of creating this fan fiction and also my mates on deviantART who helped me find inspiration when there wasn't any.

I understand that not everyone is a fan of Power Rangers and so won't know the various Rangers that have appeared over the many series. I hope you have enjoyed reading this regardless if you are a stranger to the world of Power Rangers or not. I've included some information about the series I chose, Power Rangers: Ninja Storm, to try and give, the reader, some sort of understanding about the series.

I decided to write a Captain Scarlet/Power Rangers crossover because as a child I was heavily into both shows (back then in the 1990s it was Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: the first series) and used to run around playing crossover games with my mates! This was the inspiration that led to this fic first taking shape, the second was my discovery of no Captain Scarlet/Power Rangers crossovers!

The Hardar Rock is of my creation: IT DOES NOT EXIST! I came up with the idea after reading an old science fiction/horror novel.

I have made no profit from writing this story. It was made purely for the love of the television shows.

I hope you feel you haven't wasted your time reading this story, but if you wish to give me a bawling out (telling off), I'm all ears, well eyes, seeing as it'll be a message on the computer screen. Or if you want to tell me I've not wasted your time, feel free to get in touch. I'm always hanging around the forum.

Well so long for now!

Intensity Angel

18th August 2010

BACK TO  “HALLOWEEN FANFIC” PAGE

BACK TO CROSSOVER STORIES PAGE

BACK TO  “FAN FICTION ARCHIVES” PAGE

OTHER STORIES BY INTENSITY ANGEL

Any comments?  Send an E-MAIL to the SPECTRUM HEADQUARTERS site