The Hellhound's Return

Light Source, Part II

"I can't believe we let him get away with her," said Nick, running a hand over his face.

"Nick, as long as we're still breathing, we're not stopping," said Vida.

Chip nodded. "Even if I stop breathing, I'm not stopping," he said.

"That's not exactly comforting, Chip," Kali muttered. "If you stop breathing then we got to worry about you, too."

"Point taken," said Chip.

Kali smiled lightly and squeezed his shoulder. She then turned to Nick. "We'll get her back," she promised.

Nick took a deep breath and nodded.

"All right," said Xander. "Let's Ranger up."

The others reached for their morphers and snapped them open, punching in the familiar digits and flooding the Morpher with magic.

"Magical Source, Mystic Force!"

The Morpher chimed dimly and the team looked around at one another. This was new.

"He stole our powers," said Nick.

"Oh, come on! Not again!" Kali whined, pressing the digits on her Morpher'. Still, nothing happened.

"We're not Power Rangers anymore," Nick sighed. "I can't help Mom."

Instinctively, Kali reached for his hand and squeezed it. Despite everything that was going on in their personal lives, he was still her best friend and she felt obligated to offer comfort when it was needed.

~X~

"We got to find LeeLee and get her to help us," said Nick, jogging down the steps outside the Rock Porium. Behind him were Xander and Kali, both had volunteered to help him check the store, although he wasn't sure if it was such a good idea in the long run.

"If she's not here, the others - closed?" Xander asked, sharing a confused look with the other two. "At two in the afternoon?"

Reaching over Nick, Kali plucked a single piece of paper from the window, and read aloud. It was a note from Toby.

"All my employees disappeared. I went skating. Rock on in 30. Toby 'Exercise and eat healthy' Slambrook."

"What does he mean 'All my employees disappeared'?" Xander asked, taking the note and re-reading it.

"He probably means LeeLee's not here," said Kali, sighing heavily.

"I hope not," Nick muttered, using his key to unlock the front door. He swung it open and headed directly for the back office, calling out LeeLee's name.

Kali headed for the kitchen. "I'll check out back," she called, disappearing through the door into the alley. She checked everywhere that she could think of, even the street leading towards the part, but found nothing. With a sigh, Kali headed around to the front of the store, and back down the steps, stopping as she heard Nick's raised voice.

"You're Mr Personality, you're always surrounded by people," Nick said. "Even my best friend is charmed by you."

Kali lay her head against the wall and closed her eyes. She didn't want to hear this but also found that she didn't want to interrupt. She'd had a feeling this talk was a long-time coming between these two, but she had also hoped she wouldn't have been around to witness it.

"I haven't always been Mr Personality," said Xander, "When I first came to this country, I didn't know anyone. No one wanted to know me. I was the new guy with the silly accent, picked last on the school teams. I was teased mercilessly. Takes time to find your place. I understand loneliness. I understand leaving your friends behind. But you're not alone, Nick. You got us. We're your friends. We're your mates, your family."