Power Rangers Dino Thunder, Heather Ray [top 20 books to read txt] 📗

How can I say this enough? Thank you to everyone that has kept up with all my books! You all are awesome! When I started adapting my fanfiction to these books, I was just doing it in order to introduce the Power Rangers to a new generation and to also help reluctant young readers to find a new love for reading. But I have found out that with each new book there is resounding success! Thank you all so much!

Power Rangers Dino Thunder and all related characters belong to Saban Brands. No infringement is intended. For the purposes of this story, assume "Day of the Dino"

took place in September 2004 (as the premier suggests, it takes place at the beginning of a school year, and it doesn't seem to step on Ninja Storm's toes)

, so this story takes place in June 2004, roughly three months earlier.

The black jeep drove over the rough terrain carefully, weaving around branches torn from the surrounding trees by the strong winds. Through the windshield, the worn road stretched on into the distance, heading further and further away from civilization.

The passenger sighed grumpily, pointedly glancing at his wristwatch. "You know, for a former racer, you sure drive slow, Tommy."

Tommy smirked. "I do have some very delicate equipment in the back that works best when it's not

banged around. Plus, I'd like to think I'm getting less reckless in my old age."

That comment won a snort from the teen. "Yeah, right! This coming from the Ranger who refuses to retire?"

"What can I say? Trouble has a way of finding me." He then spared his young friend a wry glance. "And who are you to talk? I can see

your morpher under your sleeve, Justin."

The junior Ranger shrugged, rolling up the sleeve of his flannel jacket to reveal the small wrist unit that had been in his care for seven years. Even after all that time, a proud grin still formed whenever he reflected on the device that had reshaped his life. "It pays to be prepared... you taught me that. There's always some space-faring maniac attacking the west coast." He then smiled widely. "Besides, you never know when an elite Blue Ranger will collect all previous Blue Rangers for some super-secret mission to save the galaxy!"

Tommy's laugh filled the jeep as it pulled up in front of a secluded ranch just on the edge of the imposing forest. "Here we are."

Justin released a low whistle as he unbuckled his seatbelt and hopped out of the truck. "Jeez... since when did you hate civilization so much? You're miles away from the nearest Starbucks!"

Tommy reached into the back, pulling out a cardboard box. "I've always liked my solitude. Even before I became a Ranger I spent many of my school breaks at my uncle's cabin." He then shrugged. "Besides, if Mesogog does track me down, the last thing I want is for some innocent neighbor to get sucked into my world."

It was a sobering thought, and it made Justin's cheerful grin fall. "This isn't fair, Tommy. You've done more than your share of world-saving. You've been at it for twelve years straight."

Tommy shook his head as he settled the box into Justin's arms. "Only the first few were full-time. Occasionally I go on an adventure, and I keep myself available if a new threat pops up." He reached into the car again, and retrieved another large box. "Someone has to do it. Zordon isn't around any longer to keep up the watch."

Jeez, Tommy... you sure know how to depress someone.

Justin sighed softly, and followed Tommy into the rustic house without another word on the subject.

The pair ascended the stairs and entered the foyer. The house was still in disarray, moving boxes piled in the unfurnished dining room, books scattered on just about every flat surface, and unopened mail covering the kitchen counter.

The only room that had any evidence that a person actually lived there was the den, with a small television, worn couch, a mantel over the fireplace with several pictures in frames, and one large document mounted on the wall.

Justin chuckled softly. "So this is the brand-new Ph.D. Man, I knew I wouldn't believe it until I saw it. Now I see it and I still

don't believe it!"

"That's what Jason said," Tommy replied with an amused grin. "And David. And my parents."

The pair passed the den and walked through the hallway, where Tommy paused in front of a model of a dinosaur skeleton. Justin smirked as a secret door pulled open, revealing a dark cave beneath the house.

"You should have a firehouse pole installed, so you can just slide down into your lair," he teased, following his former leader into the cave.

"Enough 'Batman' jokes," Tommy sighed. "Thanks to Hayley, I've heard them all."

"And how is our senior computer whiz doing on the 'project'?"

"Why don't you ask her?" Tommy answered, as they entered the subterranean laboratory. Seated at an obscenely complex console, perusing several computerized blueprints, sat the studious redhead in question.

"Hey Hayley," Justin greeted. "How're the morphers coming? Was Mrs. Rawlings any help?"

"Angela had some terrific designs for weapons and equipment, but when it came to the morphers themselves, Lightspeed was a dead end," the genius sighed, stretching her arms wearily. "Lightspeed designed their power source themselves, so their morphers aren't very versatile. We're trying to channel the ancient power of the Dino Gems, combining magical energies and dinosaur bio-signatures with human DNA. Finding schematics for a compatible morpher has proven to be a real pain in the rear."

Tommy's face tightened. "But we found an alternative."

The two graduates traded a meaningful glance, leaving Justin completely in the dark. "Care to clue me in, guys? I know I've been out of the loop the past few months... college does cut down my free time, you know... but I'm here now. Maybe I can lend my neurons to this brain trust?"

Tommy leaned against another console. "It turns out creating morphers is a lot harder than we anticipated. Each set of morphers had unique characteristics to channel the power source chosen for that team. I've gotten in contact with as many Ranger mentors as possible, but so far none of the schematics sent to us will work with the Dino Gems. We need to use a morpher design that actually uses crystals as the power source."

Justin narrowed his eyes, skimming through his memory of Ranger history. "Didn't the Wild Force team use crystals?"

"They did have crystals of their Wild Zords, but even if their morphers were compatible with the Dino Gems, we have no way of getting the schematics," Hayley explained. "The team disbanded immediately after the defeat of Master Org, and the Rangers no longer have access to their morphers. With their mentor in a magical hibernation, we can't get any information from her, either. We can't find out a thing about the source of their power, or how they channeled it."

"Then, what about the Zeo Crystal?"

"That's the 'alternative' we came up with," Tommy revealed, "but with Zordon gone and the Turbo Chamber wrecked by Divatox, there's no record of how the Zeonizers were originally designed. Our only option was to work backwards."

Justin frowned in puzzlement, until he turned again toward the large computer screen. Peering over Hayley's shoulder, he recognized what he saw.

"The Zeonizer schematics," he murmured. "How'd you pull that off?"

Tommy sighed. "We didn't have the designs, but we did have a working model to disassemble."

Comprehension dawned, and Justin stared incredulously at his former leader. "You... disassembled

the Red Zeonizers?"

"No, I did," Hayley corrected. "Tommy's a paleontologist; he wouldn't have a clue what to do with a device as sophisticated as a morpher."

"But now you're powerless, Tommy!" Justin pointed out. "If Mesogog does track you down, you'll have no way to protect yourself!"

"That's why we need the Dino Gems. They have the power to stop Mesogog once and for all." He ran his fingers through his short hair. "Besides, the plan is to reassemble the Zeonizers once we have the Dino Morphers running."

He then leaned over Hayley's other shoulder. "How's it coming?"

"Fairly well, actually," she reported. "I think we'll be ready for the matrix design soon."

Justin grinned. "Cool, so I got here at the fun part! Time to design the costumes!"

"Let's start with color assignments," Hayley suggested. "The Dino Gems are colorless until an attribute is given to them. You have three choices."

Both looked to Tommy expectantly. After all, he was the decision-maker. He was the one who assembled this makeshift development team. He had the brainstorm to use Dr. Mercer's extensive research for the protection of mankind, and that guided him for the past two years.

But Tommy didn't have an immediate answer.

"Let's shelf that for tonight. We can program basic costume design without choosing colors anyway."