The Hellhound's Secret

Nowhere to Grow

"Shouldn't you be resting?"

Kali shrugged and took a seat beside Cam's monitor.

"You're not going to heal if you don't rest," said Cam, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

"Bed rest doesn't mean confined to the bed," said Kali, biting back a yawn.

"I'm pretty sure it does," Cam argued. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a bottle of medication. "Rune dropped these off earlier. She said they'd help with any pains, internal or otherwise."

"Thanks," Kali murmured, stuffing the bottle into her pocket. "What you working on?" she added, peering at the screen.

"A new zord."

Kali raised an eyebrow. "What kind of Zord?" she asked.

"A Hellhound Zord."

"Because I can't access my titan form."

Cam nodded. "I've been talking with Eithne about the restrictions, and she's informed me that your titan form is you. So any attacks would result in your personnel being hurt. We want to avoid that as much as possible, so I've been working on some new technology that will tap into your Mystic Titan form but generate an actual Zord, instead," he explained.

"Well, if anyone can do it, you can," said Kali.

Cam smiled.

A comfortable silence fell between them as Cam continued to work and Kali watched him; on a normal occasion, Cam would have prefered to work alone, having someone watch over his shoulder was nerve-wracking, especially considering most company - like Dustin - would be asking him questions along the way, but Kali just sat quietly. He also enjoyed her company. Being stuck at Ops all day, every day on his own was tedious.

Suddenly the computer beeped, startling them both.

"I thought flowers were supposed to be beautiful," said Kali.

"I guess it depends on your point of view," said Cam.

Kali smiled and shrugged. "Never been a flower girl, to be honest," she said. "Wait, what are those?" she pointed at, what appeared to be, two seeds on the ground where the monster had been. It had now fled, and the Rangers were about to pursue.

"Have them return to Ops, immediately," said Sensei.

Cam nodded and contacted the others.

Sensei, meanwhile, turned to Kali. "You should be resting," he said, sternly.

"Yes, Sensei," said Kali. She slipped from the desk and disappeared down the hall to her new room.

~X~

When Kali awoke the next day, she realised that it was late afternoon and she'd slept for more than 12 hours. Still in a little pain from her encounter with the Thunders, despite it being almost a week ago, Kali dragged herself from her bed and wandered out into Ninja Ops. She hesitated at the doorway as she spotted Cam and Sensei in a heated exchange.

"...I'm disappointed in you, Cam," Sensei said, sighing heavily.

Kali frowned and stepped back into the darkened hallway. She felt guilty for eavesdropping, but she had missed a lot that day and was curious has to what Cam had done against Sensei's wishes.

"How did you know?" Cam asked.

"I'm a Ninja Master and your father," Sensei said. "Not a good combination if you're trying to pull a fast one. Son, I always knew this day would come. It's in your blood."