The Hellhound's Secret

Looming Thunder

Sorry for not being around the last month. May and June are difficult months for me, and I kind of threw myself into a new TV show as a distraction. Anyway, here is the next update.

"Good, you're awake," said Cam, looking up from the computer as Kali entered Ninja Ops. Behind her came Tori and Shane. "And you've been out. How long have you been awake?"

Kali shrugged. "A couple of hours," she replied. "When I can't sleep, I wander."

"Why can't you sleep?" Shane asked. "Bad dreams?"

"More like bad feelings," Kali answered. "The Hellhound is restless, and I can't figure out why."

"Has this ever happened before?" Tori asked.

"A few times, yeah," said Kali, nodding. "But only when something bad is about to happen. The last time it happened was when Imperious cast the Dark Wish and made the Mystic Force disappear. The Hellhound was restless because it could sense something bad was happening, but it couldn't do anything about it."

Tori and Shane shared side glances.

Kali smiled at them. "It's complicated," she said. "But it's my burden to bare, not yours. Don't worry. I'll figure it out."

"Well, if it's Ranger related then it's our burden, too," said Tori. "You're our teammate. We'll figure it out together."

Shane nodded.

"Thanks."

"Hate to interrupt," said Cam. "But we've got activity in the forest."

Kali, Shane, and Tori crowded around the computer, watching as a swarm of Kelzacks appeared out of nowhere.

"Hey, that's Dustin," said Kali, pointing at a small blip on the map.

"Now looks like a great time to try out your new artillery," said Cam, pressing a button on his keyboard. A wall shifted to the left of the trio and they turned to see four new bikes. Each one representing their Ranger colours.

Kali grinned.

"These are your new Tsunami cycles," said Cam. "And that's not all. Come with me." He stood and walked out of the room.

Shane, Kali, and Tori shared a look and followed.

~X~

Dustin panted with exertion as he lay on his back in the middle of a swarm of Kelzaks. They'd caught him off guard, and easily overpowered him. Has they raised their swords, ready for the final strike, they paused at the rumble of an engine. Craning his neck, Dustin's eyes widened as a black rider atop of a motorcycle sped effortlessly through the trees, they stopped a few feet away and fired lasers at the swarm.

The Kelzaks screeched and separated. They surrounded the rider and Dustin rolled to his knees as two more bikes and their riders raced onto the scene. He scoffed in amusement as Tori and Shane cut through the swarm surrounding Kali, allowing her to speed away, running down a few Kelzaks in her path.

Re-grouping, Kali turned to Dustin as he rolled up beside her. "Hey, you made it," she said, high-fiving him.

"Look. the freaks are back," said Tori, nodding ahead. The Kelzaks had respawned and were blocking the road.

"Not going to be a problem," said Shane, revving his engine. "Ready?"

"Yeah!" Dustin said.

The four sped ahead, each one breaking off into pairs and then turning back to charge the Kelzaks from all sides. Dustin and Kali split up to attack from different fronts, as Tori and Shane did the same from the opposite direction.