The Fighting Spirit Saga #1 - Magi Tribe Cross Ranger
 

I've been working on this saga on and off for a few years, and it's progressed through a variety of different incarnations (most utterly rubbish), but since 2011 I've been seriously pursuing the craft of writing and the Fighting Spirit Saga has become something actually worth releasing.

This will be an original toku setting, multi-series saga similar to what Ryuranger and co. are doing with their long running adaptions (though obviously mine won't have much adaptation). In other words it'll be devided into a number of individual series or "book" of about 30-35 episodes each. Two are outlined, one is written and ready, and I have concepts for upto four books.

I hope you stick with me for the long run. For sure I hope to build a unique universe packed with my own canon of sentai/toku teams.

Enjoy.


Five years ago, a meteor shower peppered the Earth with rock. For most it was mere curiosity, a chance to get outside at night and watch a wonder of the universe. And yet with that shower came the Black Water, a vile liquid infection that seeped from the meteor fragment's themselves.

Now, five years later the Agency, a special branch of the military, established the quarantine wall just south of Steele City to prevent the spread of the infection to local wildlife. The city and the wall are a bastion of hope against a raising tide of Black Water that has consumed much of the country, yet the mutants and hybrids are getting stronger, more dangerous, and the north has become overcrowded with refugees...

In this climate, an ancient hereditary power awakens in unsuspecting citizens to combat the threat.

Cast - updated on 12/02/2014

- Robert Lam - Red Cross Ranger
- Allison Powel - White Cross Ranger
- Kenneth "Ken" Powel - Blue Cross Ranger
- Brad Reiter - Green Cross Ranger
- Captain Maria Austin - Yellow Cross Ranger

- Lieutenant Catherine Moses - CrossTrinity

- General Bryant - Black Cross Ranger

Episodes
Posts in the thread proper maybe slightly out of order.
If in doubt, what follows is the intended reading order.

Incursion Zero: The Immortal

1. Incursion One: The Black Water Menace
2. Incursion Two: Force Majeure, Part One
3. Incursion Three: Force Majeure, Part Two
4. Incursion Four: Tomorrow
5. Incursion Five: No-one
6. Incursion Six: The False Lives of True Heroes
7. Incursion Seven: The Need to Strive
8. Incursion Eight: Bad Day, Good Day
   Magi Short #1: Robert's Story
9. Incursion Nine: Stardom
10. Incursion Ten: Cast Out
    Magi Short #2: Brad's Story
11. Incursion Eleven: Betrayal
12. Incursion Twelve: Darkest
13. Incursion Thirteen: Undercovered
    Magi short #3: Catherine's Story
14. Incursion Fourteen: Genocidal
15. Incursion Fifteen: Genocidal, Part 2
16. Incursion Sixteen: Sun Divers
    Magi Short #4: Maria's Story
17. Incursion Seventeen: Earth Father
    Magi Short #5: Allison's Story
18. Incursion Eighteen: Thrill Seeker
19. Incursion Nineteen: Royal Trinity
20. Incursion Twenty: Royal Trinity, Part Two
21. Incursion Twenty One: The Remnant
22. Incursion Twenty Two: Homecoming
23. Incursion Twenty Three: Dome
24. Incursion Twenty Four: Oblivion
25. Incursion Twenty Five: The Challenger and The Guardian
26. Incursion Twenty Six: A Rallying Cry
    Magi Tribe Cross Ranger: the Movie NEW! 18/06/2014
27. Incursion Twenty Seven: No More Games NEW! 25/06/2014
28. Incursion Twenty Eight: United Front, Part 1 NEW! 10/07/2014

Themes
Opening Theme 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooezT-34rIQ

Ending Theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vOkageaKdk

Over the roar of panic spreading through the city streets like a bush fire, policemen and Agency soldiers attempt to contain the situation. “… Stay in your homes. I repeat. This is not a drill. Stay in your homes.”

Robert Lam tore through the crowds searching for his friend. “Allison!”

One minute he was walking home from work. The next he heard an explosion from near the quarantine wall south of the city. He had a fair idea of what was happening, just as any citizen of Steele City would.

A mutant from the wasteland beyond the wall must have broken past the defences again.

No matter. Once he found Allison they’d bunker up indoors and wait it out. The military always pushed back the incursions.

Military helicopters swooped in overhead and the sound of jet engines could be heard a mile off. Search lanterns blazed through the quickly receding daylight.

For an instant, Robert spotted Allison darting around the corner of the block. He called after her and gave chase.

Evidently she had not heard him, for when he broke into the next street she was nowhere to be seen. At the far end of the avenue, Robert spotted the swarming armed forces. He saw the ragged edge of the wall and the wildness beyond, where, whatever it was, had blasted a huge hole through metres of reinforced concrete.

He didn’t see the monstrous, infected elk until it loomed over him, dagger teeth dripping with the vile black ichor meteorite showers had brought to Earth half a decade ago. If someone told him then that an infection from space, an alien ichor, would take over half the southern regions of the country, he might have laughed. Aliens? Where was the evidence?

Well, here was the evidence. They weren’t alone in the universe.

“Oh wow…” Robert backed away. He continued, as though humouring the beast would work. “Well aren’t you a big ol’ thing.”

The Elk dragged it’s hooves along the ground, ripping through concrete like it were sand and snorting clouds of vapour in the chill, late summer air.

“I gotta tell you, boy. You really don’t want to eat me.”

The Elk roared. Could deer roar?

“Okay, maybe you do… but I’m really not that tasty and I certainly wouldn’t make a good mutant.” He searched for an escape route. “I’m useless see. When everyone runs away from you, what do I do? Yeah, that’s right, I run towards you. Of course I do…”

As Robert move backwards up the middle of the avenue, the infected elk kept pace, eyes locked on his. He thought he saw intelligence, even emotion, in those oversized eyes but like a dream it dissolved a second later.

A search lantern snapped on overhead, dazzling the elk. It reared up, antler locked through a helicopter’s landing tracks. The elk thrashed once and the soldier operating the lantern tumbled from the open side doors. It’s thrashed again and pulled the helicopter out of the sky.

Robert pushed the sound of the soldier hitting the pavement out of mind and ducked down a narrow side street. Most people were well practised in ignoring the sickening facts of the modern life.

Hands clamped down on his shoulders and a slender finger pressed up against his lips.

Robert twisted and saw who it was, instantly recognising her from the blonde hair and denim jacket emblazoned with various pin badges from memorable humanitarian rallies.

He relaxed and she released him.

“No loud sounds,” whispered Allison.

He jerked a thumb back at the downed helicopter and the rampaging beast stamping through its aluminium, fibreglass shell. “Thank god for the Agency, huh?”

“A guy lost his life, Robert.”

“That’s what they sign up for…”

“He - he probably had a family.”

Robert sighed. “I know.”

Allison wrapped her arms around him in a tight, squeezing hug. “I’m glad you’re not beast chow though.”

He smiled, and locked his arms together behind her back. “I’m glad too. I look better whole… not splattered across a street somewhere.”

He opened his eyes to a strange sight.

On the back of his hands glowed two symbols. One red and shaped like a licking flame, and the other grey-white like a shard of metal, both encircled with thin pulsating lines.

“Allison?” Robert pulled back.

“I know,” she replied and held out her own hands, “look.”

Indeed, two symbols graced her flesh as well; a shining white wisp of air and a stylised golden sun.

“What is this?” He ran a finger over the red flame. It felt… warm, yet not like the human body should be. To the touch, it felt little more than skin.

She shrugged. “How the hell should I know?”

Out in the street, the elk roared. As though driven by some new unseen madness, it charged them down but couldn’t fit its bulk down the street. It tried, it thrashed and it flailed and cracks snaked their way across the masonry on either side.

“We should do something about that…”

“Probably,” Allison agreed.

“Shall we run?” Neither of them moved an inch. The symbols on his hand pulsed brighter, searing an unspoken message into his skin. Robert sighed and hung his head. “We’re not going to run, are we?”

Muscles rippled in the elk’s legs as it forced its way further forward.

“How can we leave that thing knocking around?”

“The military can-“

“They can’t do shit, Robert. They’ve been losing for months. The mutants just get stronger.” Allison held her hands up in his face. “This means something, I can feel it.”

The beast pushed its way in past the neck of the side street toward them. Masonry sliced into its flank and crumbled to the ground.

“Now or never,” Robert shrugged.

The elk bore down upon them. Until then he’d ignored what they were getting into. How the hell do we take down a three ton monstrosity?

A jolt of pain shot through his head and everything became clearer, like a short, sharp storm clearing a clinging, humid fog. His eyes flashed toward his hands, and then over to Allison. He could see a mutual understanding in her eyes.

Robert and Allison step in front of the elk, giving it pause. The beast must have been quite used to pitiful little creatures like them running away, not this.

They crossed their arms at their waists and called, “Cross Form!”

The flame and air symbols on Robert and Allison’s right hand shimmered and shifted, becoming a semi-circular metal object with a large recess in the centre. Their second symbols, the shard of metal and the golden sun, drained away and became shining jewels settled in the recess.

They swung their arms in opposing arcs. The gems lit up, red for Robert and a bright white for Allison, and by the time they’d recrossed their arms in a plus across their chests, the light overtook them.

The elk moved a step back and bared its razor teeth.

When the power receded, Robert and Allison found themselves clad in hyper-flexible suits of armour. Robert’s red suit had metal grey accents and Allison’s white suit, golden ones. Their sleek helmets were divided between the two colours straight across the horizontal, just below the visor. A perfect blend of their two symbols sat proudly upon their foreheads.

The beast roared and roared. Its jaws opened wider and wider and wider still until its head peeled like a banana, folding back on itself with a sickening crunch. The mass of Black Water in place of its tongue seeped forth and became a roiling, bubbling, seething pillar that reached out to them.

A gash split the pillar in half and formed a mouth of sorts. It spoke in a deep bass. “Magi… magi…”

Robert and Allison shared a look.

“Magi!”

“So what if we are?” said Robert.

“You will be eliminated…”

“I thought you might say that.” He couldn’t explain why the defiled creature before him didn’t disgust him. He couldn’t explain how he knew what a Magi was. In a way, he didn’t know, it was just instinct.

“You… will be eliminated…”

The black mass morphed once more, shifting into a crude approximation of the elk’s now utterly destroyed head. Two horns made from the bones of the creature protruded from it and a pair of arms formed from the remaining ichor and flexed.

To Robert, it looked rather like a pitch demon was trying to crawl out of the elk’s body the hard way. “Shall we, Allison?”

“Seems to be our duty.”

He raised his hand, palm face forward and called, “Flame advent.”

A cone of crimson fire burst forth. For all its talk of Magi, the Elk was caught off guard and took the attack full force in the face. It screamed unlike anything Robert had ever heard and leaped back into the street.

“Let me try.” Allison stretched her arms out wide. “Tornado advent!”

Wind whipped around her feet and surrounded her in a whirling vortex of dust and rubble. One by one, Allison flung chunks of masonry at the Elk then released the tornado. The wild winds picked up the three ton monster and sent it crashing into a nearby rental store.

It struggled for a moment before expiring; it's body abused one iota too far.

The Black Water poured from it as though it knew when to abandon ship, and soon lay in a small lake before them. From the pool rose six slim, vaguely humanoid figures. They pulled themselves onto dry land and shambled slowly toward the new magi.

“Heh… neat party trick.”

Before they could form a plan of attack, two new military helicopters swooped in from overhead.

Squads of soldiers abseiled to the ground and quickly encircled the grunts. No orders passed between them, they simply opened fire with their semi-automatics.

The grunts fell back to the pool of Black Water and one by one merged with it. The lake coalesced into a ball. Tendrils shot from it impaling the soldiers all at once through the throat, killing them instantly

The helicopters retreated back towards the breach in the wall - safety in numbers perhaps, or returning to the wall for backup - and Allison and Robert swore in unison.

---

Comments welcome :)

New chapters posted wednesdays. See you all on the 11th for...

Incursion Two: Force Majeure, Part One

The tentacles snapped back to the black mass and the soldiers crumpled the ground. A single unblinking eye formed on the ball, and it spoke in the same voice as before even though it had no mouth.

“This is what happens. Give yourself to us and we will consider sparing your species any more harm.”

Allison raised her hand. “Only consider?”

“We are superior. You will be eliminated.”

“Yeah. Not going to happen.” Robert shook his head. “Flame Advent!”

His crimson flames flowed around the sphere, but this time didn’t touch it.

“We are superior. We will give you time to consider the fate of your species.”

The Black Water shot up into the air and flew clear over the wall. A number of jets screamed passed in pursuit.

A military APV rumbled up the road towards them. For a moment, Robert expected trouble but when the soldiers within first attended to their fallen comrades, he relaxed somewhat. In theory, they were on the same side. Even if things had gotten a little more complicated with the introduction of the magi element.

A severe-looking woman with captain’s pips on her epaulets advanced upon them.

“Who are you?”

It took little more than a second for Robert to consider the power responsible for their transformation, and make up a designation on the spot. “We’re… the Cross Rangers.”

The captain turned the phrase over in her head and shrugged. “I’ve never heard of you, but … thanks I guess.”

Allison played along. “Glad to know we’re appreciated.”

“Be that as it may, white uh ranger, my superior would like a word with you.” She stood to attention and her voice took on a cold, steely quality. “My orders are to bring you in for questioning. Can I count on your cooperation?”

“Can we have a second?” Robert glanced back at Allison. Though unable to read her expression through her helmet, he figured they were on the same wave length.

The captain nodded and turned to gather her men—and the corpses—back onto the APV.

“We can’t reveal ourselves,” Allison whispered.

“I know. Don’t think we want that kind of attention.” Strange to think only a few minutes ago he was just some guy. Now he had to actually think about what he did, because he could have made matters worse if he wasn't careful.

“So what do we do?”

Robert shrugged. “Let’s play along for now, but stay morphed. It can’t hurt to humour them, get them on side.”

She nodded. “Right. Don’t want to piss anyone off.”

“Exactly.”

The captain strode back over to them, assuming they were finished. “Okay you two. Do we have a deal?”

“We do,” Robert replied.


Ken Powel, Allison’s younger brother, had decided to use the incursion as a distraction. He checked the coast was clear before dashing over the road to community centre.

He and his friends had been watching the centre for weeks. On an ordinary day, the centre would be visited by kids, teens, and adults alike, looking to partake in one of its many activities or simply kick back for a bit. But every so often, a group of men and women wearing coveralls, carrying tools would disappear inside after closing.

Initially they figured the centre was getting a makeover, but when nothing seemed different in the weeks that followed, they knew something was up.

So here he was, because his so-called mates had chickened out.


Once they reach the military base camp by the wall, Robert and Allison were ushered into the helicopter that would take them to HQ. They quickly discovered they didn’t need the ear defenders or an intercom. Their suits did it all for them.

“I’m not supposed to being talking to you but…” said the Captain after a few minutes. They were now over the other side of the city, about to leave it altogether. “Where do you two come from?”

“Right here. Born and bred,” Robert said without thinking.

“Like, who made those suits? That’s some pretty rad tech if you ask me.”

Allison wanted to believe the Captain was only being friendly, but she couldn’t shake the feeling they were being taken for dissection. She cut in before Robert could say anything incriminating. “Trade secret.”

“Oh…” She turned back to the cockpit. “I understand.”

Intuition led her actions once more. Allison switched to a private comms channel. “We can’t say too much.”

“We don’t really know anything ourselves.”

“These people are suspicious by nature and they’re probably pretty tired of fighting these… these things from beyond the wall.” She glanced at the captain and the pilot. “If I were them, I’d want these suits. I would stop at nothing to ensure they were under military control.”

“You’re right… as usual.”

“If we can get through this meeting, then we only have to worry about not being caught again.”

Silence reigned for the rest of the trip.

Allison struggled to know what to do. Suddenly she was in possession an awesome power, one she could control by instinct alone. Did that make her a hero? If their duty was to use the power to protect people, then maybe they’d just run out of free will. It was out of their control; force majeure.

She had always wanted to help people. Until now that meant demonstrations, rallies, charity work, but none of it forced the Black Water back from where it came. It couldn’t.

Now she had the power to do just that, did she want it?

She looked at Robert. What did he think of all of this? Did he think much of anything, or, usual Robert, was just he going with flow?

The helicopter settled onto a helipad clinging to the side of Mt. Steele. They were directed outside and told to wait.

Within a couple of seconds, a stocky man with a buzz cut charged at them across the tarmac with all the grace of a bull, but the captain stepped intercepted and snapped off a salute.

“These are the cross rangers, sir,” she said.

Allison took stock of the mountain side. The helipad seemed to only thing for miles, that and the door set innocuously into the sheer rock face. There had to be more…

The General looked at them with contempt. “Good. Bring them in.” He turned on the balls of his feet and marched straight back inside.

Busy man?

“That was General Bryant.” The captain gulped. “Stay on his good side, kids. Please.”

Only inside the mountain did Allison realise the extent of the military operation here. Were they Agency holding bac?

The captain lead them through what felt like miles and miles of corridor to a small briefing room, where she bade them good luck and so long.

It took at least half an hour for anyone to show up, but Allison didn’t dare speak. She’d read enough about interrogation rooms in crime fiction to recognise what was going on. It was a common technique after all: let your quarry stew for a while, let them worry, and when you finally come round to questioning it’ll be like taking candy from a baby.

Allison imagined it worked especially well when you confined two prisoners in the same room. You just had to wait until they talked themselves into an arrest.

She wanted to tell Robert to stay strong, or failing that, to shut up. If any of them were to start a major international incident, it wouldn’t have been Allison and her demonstrations against the man. That honour went to Robert and his big mouth. She loved him, but he didn’t half have a tendency to run off on one, given the chance.

So far he’d gotten the idea.

Eventually General Bryant joined them, flanked by two young women. One took notes and the other regarded their power suits with a technician’s eye.

He looked at the clock behind their heads. “Time is 1732 hours. General Bryant, Sergeant Cartwright and Lieutenant Moses in attendance.”

The two women sat opposite Robert and Allison, while Bryant paced behind them. He looked as though he were waiting to build a head of steam before questioning them.

“Firstly,” he boomed. “I’m obliged to say thank you, on behalf of the Agency, for your efforts in dealing with this afternoon’s incursion.”

“Don’t mention it,” said Robert.

Allison hung her head. Bryant narrowed his eyes, no doubt making mental notes.

“Secondly, the Agency respectfully asks you to hand over the technology you possess. It surely belongs with us...” He pushed his way between Cartwright and Moses and slammed his hands on the table. “Not a bunch of kids!”

Allison politely raised her hand.

“If I may speak, sir?” A grunt was all the affirmation she got. “As it is, you neither know how old we are beneath our suits, nor how to use them if we did hand them over.”

“Is that so?” He chuckled. “Miss Moses. Bring in the boy.”

They hesitated, and glanced at each other. What could he mean?

The lieutenant left the room and returned momentarily with a blonde young man in tow. Though he wasn’t handcuffed, he may as well have been.

“Ken!” Allison shot to her feet, but General Bryant forced her back into her seat himself.

“I see I’ve struck a nerve…” He rounded the table again and swung an arm around Ken’s shoulders. The boy flinched. “Aren’t you glad to see your brother is okay, Miss Allison Powel?”

He pushed Ken toward the two of them.

“How about you, young Robert Lam?”

Lieutenant Moses took her seat again. She looked at the General once, then spoke in his stead.

Her voice was softer, almost genuine. “We can be friends. We both want the same thing here.”

Robert stood, his power suit melted away from him. No point keeping up a failed ruse. “I’m sure we are. But it’s best for us all if we’re left in peace.”

“Are you threatening the Agency, Mr Lam?” said Bryant.

“What if I am?”

“Okay look.” Allison’s voice cut through the commotion giving every pause, even the General.

She too unmorphed. “General Bryant was it? I don’t know what you’re trying to prove by kidnapping my brother. In the spirit of cooperation… that seems a bit much. You’re fishing for answers that we can’t give you.”

“Be that as it may, Miss Powel, in this city, within these walls, I’m in charge. So you’ll kindly keep a lid on your emotions.” He turned away to face the mirror wall opposite. “It’s my job to enforce the quarantine. Therefore, any efforts to that effect fall under my duress, vis-a-vis, you, quote-unquote, Cross Rangers. Either you’re with me, or against me. Allies, or an obstacle to be removed.”

Allison shot a look at her brother, one that asked if he was okay. He nodded, though seeming worse for wear.

She turned back to the General. “You’re the one who deals in strategy, sir, but even I can see how foolish it would be to fight a war on two fronts.” She cleared her throat. Never in a million years would she have thought she’d stand up to military general. “We’re your best hope against everything beyond the quarantine.”

General Bryant didn’t speak for at least a minute. He stared at Allison, as though he hoped through sheer force of will, she would disappear from sight.

“I would rather my best men be in possession of your suits.”

“I’m afraid they’re quite a part of us, sir.”

He nodded, turning his nose up at them. “I’ll have to see that with my own eyes.”

----------------------------
Comments are as welcome as always :D

See you all on the 18th for...


The Black Water has invaded Agency HQ. What will Robert and Allison do? Are they strong enough alone?

Soon Sergeant Cartwright and General Bryant left, the latter having had enough of them for one season.

Lieutenant Moses smiled at them. “I meant what I said earlier. We can be allies.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sure you’re a lovely person at home, but right now I’d rather be with my brother and my best friend. Thanks,” Allison sneered. If they thought they’d get away with this, they should have thought again. They’d pushed her way too far already.

“Okay, okay, we probably deserve that…” Moses raised her hands in defeat. “Kidnapping isn’t our usual MO, not by any stretch, but knowing your background we needed the leverage. I’ve been ordered to show you to your quarters and- and you just ask for me if you need anything.”

“We’re not prisoners then?” Robert folded his arms.

“Oh no, no… for now you’re guests.”

“So, we can leave whenever we want?” asked Ken.

“Afraid not,” she apologised. “General Bryant has a few more things he wants to discuss with you. Now, if you’ll follow me?”


The room they were shown to contained a set of bunk beds and a military issue camp bed, erected hastily after their arrival no doubt.

Robert settled down onto the camp bed and lay with his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. The Powel siblings retired to the bottom bunk.

“How did you get here, Ken?” said Allison.

“They picked me up just outside the community centre. I–“

“You were trying to break into that basement again, weren’t you?” She accused. “Don’t lie.”

“I told you, Al. Micky thinks they’ve got a huge bunker down there. Apparently that’s where they store all their extra secret anti-mutant weaponry.”

“And now you’ve seen their real base, what’s your opinion?” She stood, and scanned the room hoping it wasn’t bugged.

Ken looked at his feet. “I still say there’s something down there. I just thought I’d take a look…while everyone was panicking... you know?”

Allison covered her eyes. “You weren’t picked up because they knew who we were. You were picked up for breaking and entering when you should have been observing the curfew. They used you to out our true identities.” She groaned and cursed herself. It still didn’t explain how Bryant knew their names though. “Stupid girl!”

“I didn’t even break anything,” muttered Ken

“It’s not your fault,” Robert sighed. He stayed focused on the ceiling. “We both know I’d have said something stupid eventually.”

Ken and Allison burst out laughing. Soon Robert joined them.

The two of them playing superhero against villainous mutants… The situation was absurd. Of course they’d incriminated themselves. They weren’t trained for this. They were just regular people.

As regular as magi could be…

“What are you guys gonna do?” said Ken.

“I was kind of hoping a plan would creep up on me.” Robert shrugged. “That way I’d have no choice but to go along with it.”

Allison shook her head. “You really are predictable, Rob…”

“Well, what’s your plan?”

“Touche...” she groaned. “We have lives though, don’t we. I can’t just leave all that behind to go chasing an ideal world that may never exist.”

A klaxon blared throughout the base before anyone could reply. Allison’s statement hung in the air like an apparition.

The patter of heavy footsteps sounded beyond the door. Robert leaped to his feet and craned his neck, attempting to see out of the little reinforced window of their ‘quarters’.

No sooner had he done so did the door swing open to reveal the General himself.

“If you kids,” he spat, “are serious about being heroes, then I have a job for you.”

They joined him in the hall.

“The Black Water has reanimated the corpses of the soldiers you didn’t want to protect and infiltrated the base through the morgue. I want you to join forces with a squad of my men headed by Sergeant Cartwright and take them down before they infect anyone else. Do I make myself clear?”

The rangers nodded.

Robert cringed and scratched the back of his head. “Why should I help you?”

Ignoring the new red ranger, Allison looked back at Ken. “We’ll do this, as long as you keep my brother safe.”

“You have my word and honour, Miss Powel…” the general said. “Reluctantly.”


The reanimated soldiers, eyes, nose and mouth dripping with black ichor, ransacked each and every room they came across. They seemed to be looking for something.

The corpse of Private Andrew Williams shambled out into the corridor and paused to stare down the barrel of Sergeant Cartwright’s gun.

“Hi, Drew. How is going? Having fun?” She taunted, before pulling the trigger.

The Private stumbled backward from the force, but, even with most of his jaw missing and replaced with Black Water, he didn’t slow down.

The corpse lashed out at Cartwright with its inhuman claws. She twisted out the away, narrowly avoiding infection.

“Let’s play, zombie dude.” Robert stepped from the ranks of Cartwright’s squad, followed by Allison.

They struck their poses, arms crossed down by their waists. The magi symbols blazed on the back of their hands. “Cross Form!”

The reanimated cowered from the light of their morphers. The power of the gems burst from them and clad them in their armour.

Before the corpses could find their bearings, the rangers leaped forward.

Red Cross barrelled into the remains of Private ‘Drew’, knocking him off his feet. He rolled with the momentum and sprung up into another of the reanimated soldiers, staggering her. He was grappled from behind by a recovered Drew and a pair of corpses lay into him with their fists.

“Tornado advent!” White Cross called a blast of wind to whoosh down the corridor, bowling most off their feet, yet freeing Red Cross.

They regrouped with Cartwright while they had the chance.

“What do we do?” asked the red ranger. “There’s not a lot of room in here.”

The Sergeant considered this for a moment. “We’ll lead them into the hangers. This way!”

A fire team from Cartwright’s soldiers cleared a path through the corpses allowing the others to break through.

Thankfully the corpses took the bait, with a bit of coaxing from Red Cross, and shambled after them. When they got to the hanger, the rangers were waiting for them.

“Flame advent.” Red Cross launch two pillars of fire at the corpses, cornering them at the door. This gave the soldiers a chance to pump them full of lead, concentrating on the head.

The corpses eventually began to collapse, though they tried to take as many of the living with them as they could.

Yet before it could infect anyone else, the Black Water relinquished its hold over them, and streamed up towards the ceiling, forming another large ball-like mass.

White Cross faltered in her attack. What did it want? Had it been testing them all this time?

“Eyes on the ball, guys,” called Red Cross. He felt a little silly ordering men who’d doubtlessly fought one of these things before.

The Black Water seemed to consider its options. It formed an eye and studied the rangers, then the soldiers and its former puppet corpses.

It shot passed them to the door, doubling back on itself at the last moment and swamping the rangers in its embrace.

“Hold your fire,” Cartwright ordered. “Don’t hit the rangers.”

Red and White Cross bucked and struggled within the blackness. Though protected from infection by their suits, their air would soon run out and they’d be completely immobilised.

“Storm advent!” a male voice hollered.

Lightning coursed across the surface of the black mass. A blue-armoured figure, his hand the sources of the electricity, stepped over the fallen bodies and into the fray. His armour sported a number of deep purple details and the symbol upon his helmet was a mixture of water droplets and a lightning bolt.

The Black Water screeched, and pulled away from Red Cross and White Cross.

The General himself, joined by a number of his personal staff, followed the blue ranger in.

Cartwright saluted. “General Bryant, sir.”

He was fuming, torn between detaining them all and watching them do their job. “Remind me to court-martial the man who built the barracks. The boy slipped passed far too easily.”

The blue ranger joined the others, and they ranked up between the soldiers and the retreating black mass.

“Al. Robert. I tried to get here as soon as I could,” he said.

“Ken? Is that you?”

“Of course, who else?”

“When were you going to tell me about this?” White Cross took her eyes off the Black Water for a moment. Her brother looked strong in his armour, nothing like the boy she used to know.

“Only just found out myself.”

The mass formed a mouth for itself and addressed the room. “You’ve driven us out again.”

“You better run,” said Blue Cross. “Before we do something drastic.”

“Times will change for your species, Magi. Fear tomorrow.”

Without warning the black mass zipped towards General Bryant and engulfed him, before blasting upward and breaking out through the rocky ceiling into the open air. The General was left panting on the floor.

His attendants helped him to his feet. “Scramble the jets,” he spluttered through a mouth full of Black Water. “Don’t lose sight of the mass!”

The call went out and pilots poured from their nearby ready rooms into their planes.


The sound of engines followed them, as General Bryant, his staff and Sergeant Cartwright escorted the three rangers out into the corridor, back to the barracks and quarters.

“You’ll be debriefed when I call for you,” he said on the way, giving them little chance to breath. “For now, get some rest. This isn’t over by a long short.”

Across the base, men and women were on clean up.


Once the General had taken his leave, Lieutenant Moses entered the room after Robert, Allison and Ken.

“I haven’t been entirely honest with you three…”

Robert quirked an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”

“I mean that I know what magi are, and I know what you’re supposed to represent.” She sat on the camp bunk and averted her eyes.

Lt. Moses continued: “My father was always convinced he was one of them, bless his heart. Traced the family back centuries. He spent years talking of one day finding the remaining descendants of the nine clans.” She chuckled. “You know, it’s funny that I’m the one to see his dream through really.”

Allison joined her on the bed, and was about to question her further, but the lieutenant didn’t stop her confession.

“I didn’t want to believe him. Magic… it’s not real, is it? Shows what I know…” She sighed. “I want to start again. My name is Lieutenant Catherine Moses, and I’d be honoured to sponsor your place with the Agency, for what little good it’ll do.”

“Sponsor?” asked Ken.

“General Bryant doesn’t just let anyone join his ranks. You have to earn your place. I think you’ve managed that. That leaves a sponsor: someone in the Agency to vouch for your integrity. You’d be better off with Sergeant Cartwright in a sense as she’s seen you in action, but he trusts my judgement nonetheless - and I suppose I know a little more about magi than her.”

“We never wanted to join this Agency, Lieutenant,” said Robert.

“… I know how you feel, I do, but if it means a bit of anonymity from the rest of the army and the public, you’d be a fool not to accept.” She shrugged, though she seemed apologetic. “In my honest opinion.”

“She has got a point, Rob.”

“Alright, but this power isn’t part of the military. It’s ours alone. That’s important. We’ll use it to combat the Black Water and that’s it. No foreign dictators and no wars against terror. Got it?”

Lt. Moses stood and moved for the door. “I’ll work on the General for you then. Be back soon to escort you to debrief. Bryant doesn’t like to hang around… but I’m sure you’ve noticed.”

Robert sniggered. The man's a bloody whirlwind


-------------------
What's that? You're offering comments? ;)

Little late, but then again... you know... Christmas. What you gonna do? :)

-----------------

Incursion Four: Tomorrow.

Allison, Robert and Ken had just gotten back from their debriefing with General Bryant, a man who in no uncertain terms sought to use them. They sat in silence in their too small quarters.

After who knew how long, Ken spoke. “Do you guys think Bryant was looking a bit… ill?”

“You know,” said Robert, pushing himself up off the camping bed and into a sitting position. “He was a bit at that.”

“Well, he hasn’t slept since being engulfed by the Black Water.” Allison shrugged. “We should probably cut him some slack.”

“And how many living things do we know—beside us—who can survive that unscathed?” Robert countered. “The elk certainly didn’t.”

“So we keep an eye on him?” Ken frowned, and swung his legs down from the top bunk. “And what if he … mutates?”

Robert hung his head. “Then we’ll have to put him down, won’t we.”


Bryant glanced up from his desk to see Catherine standing to attention and waiting patiently for permission to speak. He put down his pen. “What is it Lt. Moses?”

“I wish to officially announce my sponsorship of the Cross Ranger’s entry to the Agency.”

“For what reasons?” The General leaned back in his chair, an action that said this should be good.

“I believe they’ve already demonstrated their usefulness to us, sir, and we both have the same goal in mind.”

“Be that as it may, are you really willing to stake your rank against this? If they fail, you’ll be out of a job. Those are the rules.”

Lt. Moses gritted her teeth. “I’m willing.”

General Bryant shook his head, and returned to his paper work.

Catherine wondered whether she was doing the right thing. Turning those three into soldiers would be the hardest mission she’d had in her career. She didn’t know them that well, but she felt they could be trusted. Call it intuition.

After a while, he addressed her again.

“They are totally untrained. Kenneth Powel, the blue ranger, was found trying break into one of our secret hangers. His sister, Allison, is an infamous activist. She led the group who chained themselves to the other side of the quarantine wall in an attempt to get noticed… And Robert Lam? A fool if ever there was one.” He chuckled derisively. “They are trouble, Miss Moses.”

“Then I’ll train them to the best of my ability. Their heart is in the right place.”

“Heart,“ he scoffed. “Very well, be this on your head. They have one more chance to prove themselves. I’ll consider the matter further.”

Catherine saluted and left the General’s office, making a beeline once more for the ranger’s quarters. She had a lot to tell them.

She knocked on the door, and heard a scuffling inside. A face appeared at the window to check who was calling for them. Clearly they had yet to put their trust in the Agency. Though naturally she hoped that would change in time.

The door opened to reveal Robert. “Lieutenant?”

“May I come in?”

He stepped aside; appeased that it was her and not the General or some random sergeant.

“I’ve just spoken with General Bryant,” she said. “He agreed to my sponsoring you, and will consider you members of the Agency just so long as you can prove yourself.”

Allison threw up her hands in defeat. “Haven’t we done that already?”

“You’ve won me and Cartwright over—and dare I say it her squads—the ones you fought with in the hanger… but the General is a difficult man to please… clearly”

Allison sighed. “Okay… okay. If that’s what it takes.”

Lieutenant Moses smiled. They were finally getting somewhere.

She thought back to her father’s quest to find the clan descendants. I’m doing this for you, dad. Because I never believed in you, and because the world desperately needs something to believe in these dark times.

“What do you know about our powers?” Ken asked, taking everyone by surprise. “I’m okay using them for whatever needs to be done, but I’d like to understand them at little better before then.”

“If this power is that old why do we look so futuristic in our armour?” added Robert.

“Oh, well, I can’t really answer that...” she said, “but, everything my family knows about the magi makes no mention of power suits of any kind. My guess is you formed them from your own imaginations using the Power.”

The Lieutenant chewed her lip, and tried to remember the stories of her childhood. “It’s been a long time since I recalled any of this, so I might be a little rusty but…


In ancient times, just after us humans put our nomadic hunter-gatherer ways behind us and became farmers, a great evil, much like the Black Water we face today, cast its shadow across the land.

After much bloodshed, mystics from nine of the most powerful tribes came together to forge a new hope for their people. They confined themselves to their tents for thirty-one days and nights, and when they emerged they brought with them the nine grand runes.

The mystics furnished their tribes with one rune each—fire, water, earth, air, lightning, sonic, metal and darkness—and from the power held within the symbols, wielded great strength against the evil that plagued them.

Soon they defeated that ancient evil, but found in peace the tribes returned to their old ways. The head of the fire clan wanted the nine runes for himself. The others protested, and the dark clan seemed content with sowing discord and war amongst their fellows.


“… It’s safe to say destroyed themselves in the war that followed, since their civilisation is long gone. Yet, their children inherited the power of the runes, and their children after that, and…” She regarded the three of them, and tried to imagine the family tree linking them back to ancient times and the six clans their powers represented. “And you guys are the end of that line. So Dad said.”

“That’s a lot to take in,” said Robert.

Allison frowned. “If we are descendants of these ancient tribal mages, then why do Ken and I have different powers. We’re biological siblings.”

“Well that I can’t answer… we’re talking more than a few centuries between them and you after all. Plenty of time for the bloodlines to mix.” Lt. Moses chuckled. “What I can say is that you, Robert, are the last descendent of the fire and metal clans. Allison, you’re of the air and light clans, and Ken is from the water and lightning clans.”

“That’s six.” Robert crossed his legs. Talk of magic and ancient history didn’t interest him one bit. He wanted to know what this meant practically. “What about the other three clans, did they just die out?”

“You’d have had more luck asking my Dad that, only…”

“Is he-“

Knowing just what Robert was about to ask, Allison knocked him over the head and interrupted him with a glare. “We’re sorry for your loss.”

“Oh now don’t. It happened years ago, and I’m long passed mourning.”

She knew that was a lie, but would rather people didn’t worry about her. The Catherine Moses who’d joined the army was long gone; the Lt. Moses they saw before them was stronger, faster, and better equipped for this life. Nevertheless, her father had meant a great deal to her. Despite her refusal to care, and above all else, he’d taught her what he knew about the magi clans.

With the arrival of the Cross Rangers the tide might well be turning, and through them she hoped she might avenge her father’s death at the hands of the Black Water.

The warning klaxon blared throughout the base.

General Bryant’s voice sounded over the crackling comms system. “A group of grunts have formed from the sewers downtown. Our cams report they are being led by a human. Your first consideration is towards ensuring the infection doesn’t spread into the city’s water supply.”

Lt Moses snapped to attention, dropping all pretence. “Cross Rangers. Move out!”


General Bryant watched the rangers and Lt Moses leave via armoured helicarrier. He still didn’t know what to think about them. He certainly couldn’t quantify their abilities, and that pissed him off.

However…

He dropped his gaze to the inky black symbol slowly etching itself across the back of his hand. A few hours ago it had been nothing more than a spot on his wrist, but now he could clearly make out a moon and a star encircled by a thick black line that grew darker with every passing moment. And since then his other hand had been shining a white wisp-like air symbol.

He quickly pulled on his gloves, hacked a wheezing cough and returned to his office.

No one needed to know about this.


The Cross Rangers leaped from the helicarrier, morphed mid fall and parachuted to the ground. They landed in front of the slowly advancing horde of grunts and discarded their chutes.

“Stop right there,” said Red Cross.

The horde shambled closer still.

White Cross shook her head. “Did you really expect that to work?”

“Not really.” He shrugged. “But it was worth a try.”

Before they could launch their unique attacks, the rumoured leader stepped forward and the grunts came to a halt.

To their surprise he bore a strange resemblance to General Bryant, but he wasn’t human, not anymore at least.

Tied like a blindfold across his eyes, across his chest and shoulders, and right leg were an extensive series of bandages. His entire left leg had been replaced by a mass of black water and his left arm was enlarged to the point his knuckles dragged along the ground.

Though he appeared to have no eyes beneath his bandages, he perceived them well enough.

“Magi…”

“Yeah? And who are you?” asked Blue Cross.

Red Cross had seen a number of humans infected by the Black Water since the situation blew out of control—the soldiers killed by the elk and later reanimated to name a few—but something felt off about this guy. Why did he look like the general?

“I am No-one.” He raised his oversized arm over his head. “And soon you will be no-one too.”

Happy 2014 to all!
-------------------------------

Incursion Five: No-one.

"I am No-one." He raised his oversized arm over his head. "And soon you will be no-one too."

The Red Cross Ranger looked at his two friends and smirked. "I don't know about you guys but I was getting used to being a someone. Oh well…"

As he turned back to No-one he swung his hand out and called, "Flame Advent!"

A cone of fire roared towards the worryingly calm mutant. It veered off at the last second and incinerated a group of grunts.

He grinned maliciously, mouth splitting open from ear to ear to revealed rows of sharpened teeth. "Your attacks are … nothing."

Red Cross threw another flame advent, and again, it shot off to the side, roasting another swath of pitch-coloured grunts.

"Damn…" Blue Cross said, and then swore under his breath.

A pool of Black Water spread from No-one's leg and a fresh batch grunts hauled themselves out of it.

"They are nothing too," said No-one. "Replaceable."

A hail of bullets, coursing with living shadow, pummelled into the horde felling yet more of the grunts.

The rangers turned to see the culprit. Standing on top a nearby building was a black ranger, the owner of the shadow-spewing gun.

He somersaulted off the roof and dove toward No-one. He tucked and rolled on impact, and flung the mutant into a lamp post with deft precision.

"I didn't know there were more of us…" said Red Cross in disbelief.

He saw now that the symbol on the black ranger's helmet was that of the Air clan and a moon—which he took to signify the dark clan that Lt. Moses told them about earlier.

No-one growled and ordered the grunts forward to attack the rangers.

White Cross opened up straight away with a tornado advent, blasting their feet out from under them. Her attack was followed by one of her brother's storm advent attacks, turning the grunts to an inert mush.

While White and Blue dealt with the small fry, Red Cross joined the black ranger in grappling with No-one. No matter what they did, no matter how far or hard they threw or burnt him, he sprung back again.

"It's no use, magi," No-one taunted. "You won't defeat me that way."

Indeed any attack that did hit was quickly swallowed up by Black Water. His wounds seemed to heal by the same process, explaining his appearance.

"Turn back now, Red. Or I'll force you myself," the black ranger spoke. "This one is mine."

"Are you serious?"

Without taking his eyes off No-one, Black pointed his shadow gun at Red Cross and fired.

"Of course I'm serious."

As he fell, Robert's armour dissolved back into the morpher on the back of his hand.

Despite having their hands full, White Cross and Blue Cross fought their way over to him to protect him from further damage. The blue ranger brandished a crackling palm full of storm advent lightning at the Black ranger, while White kept a close eye on No-one.

"You okay?" she asked.

Robert clutched frantically at his wounds, but found he had none. His suit had taken the brunt of the damage, leaving him with little more than a nasty bruise.

"Funnily enough…" He glared at the back of the Black ranger's helmet.

"This one… is mine," the mystery ranger repeated.

They helped Robert to his feet and took him to a safe distance.

The Black ranger meanwhile laid into No-one with all he had. His shadow-based attacks had as little effect as most so far, but he had slightly more success with his own brand of tornado advent.

He blew the mutant back down the street, as far away from the grunts as he could.

White Cross saw this and was taken aback by it. "I think… in his own way… he's trying to help us."

"Anyone who shoots at me isn't helping," Robert wheezed. He attempted to morph again, but found the energy in his mixed clan gem depleted.

The remaining grunts, twelve strong at least, saw their targets and refocused. Ones at the far back of the group launch globs of Black Water at the trio, which White Cross deflected with her winds.

Robert shook his morpher, and grunted. "Looks like I'm out of the fight guys."

"Don't worry," Blue Cross replied. "We'll take care of this."

"Just stay out of trouble, you maniac."

Robert could hear from the sound of her voice alone that the white ranger had just winked at him.

Blue Cross leaped forward and tried out a new attack his genetic instinct had informed him of. "Flood advent."

A tsunami of water poured from his open palms washing the grunt away in one.

White Cross mopped up the stragglers with a new attack of her own. "Blinding Advent," she shouted.

An intense golden light boiled the Black Water the grunts where they stood, quickly evaporating them and the rest of the inert remains. They had, after all, been ordered to ensure the people of the city didn't get infected through the drinking water.

They regrouped with Robert, and took off down the street after No-one and the black ranger.

Surprisingly the mutant had taken every tornado advent without retaliation until he was backed up against the glass frontage of the library atrium.

"Your efforts are nothing."

"So you're stubborn! What do I care?" Rage clung to the black ranger's voice like an insidious venom.

"Your efforts are nothing," No-one repeated.

"Shadow Advent!" the black ranger roared.

A seething ball of shadow formed around his fist, and No-one caught the punch in the stomach. For a moment, the attack had no effect whatsoever. But soon the mutant began to melt back into Black Water.

The black ranger took a step back and folded his arm in victory.

As he melted, not a word passed No-one's grinning maw and soon he was gone. That only seemed to enrage the ranger more.

"Cocky… invincible… little SH-"

"You owe us an explanation," Robert said, interrupting him.

"I owe you nothing."

"We're all magi here, dude. We're all up against mutants like that guy. So what's the damn problem?" Robert, even without his armour, was about ready to punch the mystery ranger.

The black ranger unholstered his gun. "Do I need to shoot you some more?"

White Cross cut in. "You don't have to do that."

"Can you think of one single way that you are qualified for this fight?" The ranger waved his gun around like an extension of his body, "Leave town."

Thinks he's better than us… I'll show him! Robert snapped a hurled his feet at the black ranger. Blue and White caught his arm in time. The other ranger didn't flinch.

He chuckled, "You're friends are sensible."

The sun crept upward into the sky, first bathing the world in long shadows then in its golden glow. He took a step back and disappeared into the darkness.

It was only then that the Cross Rangers realised how long they'd been awake for. The sun was setting when the infected elk first broke through the quarantine wall and a night and a day had come and gone since the Agency had picked them up.

The Powel siblings demorphed to match Robert, now the threat had passed with a somewhat unsatisfying ending.

Ken looked down at himself. "I need a shower, a comfy bed and a fresh change of clothes.

"Amen to that." Robert nodded.


Lt. Moses and the helicarrier airlifted them shortly, but back at base they had debriefings to attend to.

The trio, accompanied by their sponsor, converged on General Bryant's office, but not before swinging by the base store's and asking the quartermaster if they could borrow some training uniforms as a stopgap.

The General was waiting for them, standing stock still behind his desk.

Lt. Moses saluted but the rangers didn't know whether they were supposed to or not. Ken hedged his bets and did so, earning him a glare from Allison and Robert.

"I've just been sent a report of your skirmish." Bryant got down to business quickly. "I can confirm the city's water supply is safe."

Lt. Moses lowered her hand. "Sir, the grunts didn't appear from the sewers."

"Oh?"

"They were led by a man… a mutant sorry… calling himself No-one. He could produce them at will from his-" She paused, unsure how to explain further.

The General wave her off, absolving her of the need to report. "I get the picture, lieutenant."

"There's something else, sir."

He sighed. "Do tell." Bryant looked as though he wanted to go home and rest as much as they did.

"A fourth ranger was the one to force No-one into retreat. A black cross ranger."

"Thank you for informing me." Bryant sat calmly and spun his chair to face the picture wall to the rear of his office. "For now, we'll keep an eye on him. If the situation gets out of hand, we bring him in for questioning."

"One more thing, General Bryant, sir." Lt. Moses hated having to talk so much in front of her CO, Robert could tell. "We need to talk about the Cross Rangers, themselves."

Bryant spun back around to face them, and place his hands firmly on the desk. "Yes we do. In fact, while you were away I drew up a plan. It occurs to me how foolish it is to concentrate their abilities on this city and this section of the quarantine wall alone. As it stands there's over 400 miles worth of unprotected terrain along the wall, and a goodly portion of that is heavily populated."

He handed Lt. Moses a file from atop the desk. "This folder contains all the details of your new assignment." He turned to peer at the rangers. "If you are to be a part of this Agency then you will follow my orders, and that includes saluting superior officers."

Ken grinned at his sister, but a look was all it took to wipe it from his face.

The General continued: "I am relocating you to nearby Fort Lowsdale. There you will take the guise of civilians, friends living together in an apartment, and will resume a normal life—in jobs specified in the mission folder—until called upon to do your duty. Your families will be informed of this… to some extent. They will be lead to believe you have enlisted and are on an secret island training retreat paid for by us. Under no circumstances are you to divulge the true nature of this mission. Is that clear?"

He waited for his words to sink in, and just as Lt. Moses was about to confirm she understood he interrupted her. "You're dismissed."

She closed her mouth and saluted, urging the rangers to do the same. "Yes, sir."


Lt. Moses left the rangers to their thoughts. They needed rest and she needed some time out, so she meandered toward the officer's mess to grab something to eat.

She'd hardly sat down at the end of one of the mess's long canteen tables, when a female officer sat down across from her with her own tray.

"Catherine."

The lieutenant looked up. "Yes, Captain Austin?"

"I just wanted to congratulate you on getting a command."

The woman had her auburn hair down. Catherine wondered how long it would take for someone to point out such a nonstandard application of Agency dress code. But she'd known the Captain long enough to realise no one but the General would pull her up on it.

"Thanks Maria, but I'd hardly call it a command."

"Shut up, I call it how I see it." Maria paused to take a bite of mystery meat. She pushed the tray away not long after. "I brought the rangers in, you know, I found them in the streets in a bust up with some poor mutant deer. I don't mind saying, they looked pretty damn awesome. Guess the almighty Bryant doesn't like me enough though…"

"Hey, you can have the project if you want it. You do outrank me."

Captain Austin laughed, almost snorting her water. "Be that as it may… I don't have the patience to take on a second command. My squads and I do just fine."

Deep down Lt. Catherine Moses knew she was the right one for the job, but she felt the situation getting more and more complicated as time ran on.

What would she be ordered to do next?

Just a little one this week. Enjoy.
-------------------


Ken, Robert and Allison were permitted a final day to get their affairs in order. A day to perpetuate the ruse forced upon them by General Bryant.

Robert dropped his standard issue duffel in the hall with a whump. His mother and father came out of the lounge to see him off, hugging for support.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” Mr Lam asked. His eyes spoke of both pride and betrayal.

“Yes, dad.” Robert placed a hand on his mother’s shoulder. “It is. I’ve sat around the house for too long, it’s not fair on you guys, and every day more land is infected by the Black Water. I’ve feel I have to do… something you know?”

“… but couldn’t you just volunteer at the refugee shelters?” said Mrs Lam.

“I could, ma, but it’s just not the same.”

He felt a pang of guilt at lying to his parents. He didn’t want to join the army, he didn’t want to be their shill, but he couldn’t see another way around it. At least if they were in Fort Lowsdale they’d be off the base and living a life. A false life, but a life nonetheless.

“This way I can get my hands dirty. This way I can make a measurable difference. Me volunteering won’t give the homeless back their houses, it won’t drive the infection out of their homelands.”

Mr Lam nodded. “You know, son. I didn’t think I live to see you take this kind of initiative. I won’t lie, I’d hoped you go to college, find a nice girl to settle down with, give your ma and I some grandchildren.”

“Dad,” Robert whined.

“I know, I know, but this may be the last we see of you. Don’t you get that?”

“Of course, Dad, but once my training is complete they say I can file for leave.” He choked back the guilt, and pushed on. It has to be like this, he told himself. “I’ll visit as often as I can, I promise.”

Not wanting to drag it out any longer than he had to, Robert shrugged on his jacket and picked up his duffel bag.

He left the house, walked down the way to the Agency car waiting for him on the street, and didn’t look back for fear of breaking down.

“We’re proud of you,” his parent’s called out to him.

Their words stuck in his mind for a long time to come.


Across town, the Powel siblings had their own bags packed and were waiting curbside for an Agency car to pick them up.

They only had their uncle to tell, and he hadn’t taken the news well.

“This is how you repay my hospitality? By swanning off to some island courtesy of the damned military?”

“It’s for training,” Allison protested.

“You,” their uncle spat. “I’d never have expected you, of all people, to enlist. Miss flower-power-save-the-world…”

“That’s still who I am, only this way, I’ll actually get to see results!”

He balled his fists. “Take your bags and get out. If you ever get leave, don’t come back here. I promised your late parents you wouldn’t get in trouble, well I guess I failed.” He stormed off into the lounge and slumped into his favourite chair. “Don’t come crying to me when it blows up in your faces!”

Ken wrapped his arm around his sister. “That could have gone better, I know.”

“We have no family left.” She threw his arm off. “None. No one.”

“We have each other,” Ken stressed.

Allison jumped to her feet and screamed in frustration. “You know what I mean. We have a life here and we have to give it all up.”

“Yeah. To save the world.”

“You sure about that?” she said. “You sure we aren’t just playing into the General’s game? News flash: he doesn’t like us much. He’s trying to get us out of the picture.”

Ken took her by the shoulders and touched her on the back of the head. Since they were kids, whenever his big sister got worked up like this, he used to hug her and gently stroke her hair to calm her down. He grown too old for the hug aspect of it, but habits died hard.

“Then we’ll play his stupid games, and we’ll make ourselves indispensable.” He shook her. “Won’t we!”

Not long after the Agency car pulled up, and Robert leaped out of the back doors and grabbed their bags.

It didn’t take a genius to work out they’d had an argument. “I hope you two are ready.”

They looked at each other and smiled. Allison spoke: “We’ll never be ready, Rob, but we have to do something, don’t we. Let’s do this.”


In the helicarrier, on the way to Fort Lowsdale, 100 miles west of their home town and Agency HQ, Lt. Moses filled them in on the particulars of their mission.

“The flat you’ll be renting is owned by a front company of ours, officially your landlord will be a man by the name of Edward Sanders. Lieutenant Sanders that is… one of our own.”

Robert rolled his eyes. “Nifty way for General Bryant to keep an eye on us…”

“I know you don’t like it, but in order to use your powers to better effect we need to follow orders.”

“Do you believe that?” said Allison.

“Uh… I-”

“Do you?”

“I don’t need to believe.” She sat up straighter. “I’m a lieutenant in the military. I follow orders.”

“Great,” said Ken.

Lt. Moses cleared her throat. “In order to maintain the ruse, you will need to get jobs to pay for rent. The Agency has sorted this out for you already.”

She opened the mission folder and read: “Robert, you’ll be working in the kitchens of the Fort Lowsdale Bar and Grill. Allison, in light of your activism and to put you in a better position to observe, you’ll be a support worker at the Refugee Camps north of the town. And finally, Ken. Your new life is at UFL.”

“My cover is as a college student?”

“The University of Fort Lowsdale is one of the highest scoring in the country. As such the town has a high density of students, nearly out numbering regular citizens. If as a team you are to keep abreast of the situation, you’ll need to have the locals on side. Listen to them. I’m sure you’ll figure out all you need to know, whatever the mission throws at you.”

Robert raised his hand and smirked. “Let me get this straight. If Ken and Allison get these important fact finding jobs, then why am I stuck in a ruddy kitchen?”

“A chef, a student and a social worker. Doesn’t sound that suspicious, does it?” Allison said, siding with Lt. Moses.

He huffed. “I’m still not convinced.”

“Your cover has been tailored and administered by the best we have. It’s foolproof.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it…”

The remainder of the trip was uneventful, consisting of paper work and learning their cover stories, new backgrounds and new goals in life.

“One more thing: In the field you will be known by codenames to protect your cover. Red Cross, White Cross and Blue Cross.”

Ken chuckled. “How patriotic.”


The Agency car dropped them off at their new apartment building. At four stories tall, the red brick construction stood out amongst the comparatively low rise buildings. Their flat was on the top floor, and that couldn’t have been a coincidence.

They each shouldered their bags and trudged up to the door.

Robert pressed the supervisor call button on the door and a gruff voice sounded in return.

“Yes?”

He shrugged, unsure what to say. He went with gut instinct. “Hi, we just rented a top floor flat from you?”

“Are you Robert Lam, or Kenneth Powel?”

“Robert, sir.”

“Good, excellent. Come on up. I’ll meet you there with your keys.”

The door buzzed and unlocked. It opened out into a small reception hall with no more than a staircase, a laundry room and the resident’s individual post boxes.

The trio bypassed all that to head up the winding stairs to the top floor.

Standing at the far end of the square landing, next to the last of the floors three flats, was a man with dark buzz cut. He held out his hand in greeting, which they each shook in turn.

“I’m Mr Sanders. Your landlord.” Though he smiled, it took an obvious force of will. He handed Robert a ring of keys, six in total. One each for the door and one each for…

“The other is a key for your post box,” he added. “Don’t lose ‘em, cause I sure as anything won’t be paying to replace them.”

“Thanks, sir.”

Edward Sanders glared at Robert as if to say drop the sir business. “If you need anything, you already know who to call.”

Without further chat, the ‘landlord’ tramped back downstairs to his first floor flat.

Allison grabbed the keys and tried them at random until one slid into the lock.

The flat was ready furnished, no surprise there, in neutral browns with cheap magnolia wall paint. A few black-framed, stock photos of cities, famous bridges and waterfalls softened the Spartan interior.

The main room, into which the front door opened, was a catch all living, dining, food preparation space, easily big enough to accommodate three adults. Off the back of this room, a simple magnolia hallway led to the three equally-sized bedrooms and single bathroom.

“Could do with a little personalising,” said Ken, finding the fridge stocked with the kind of food your grandma brought you because you were ‘a growing young lad’.

They hadn’t been in the flat more than a minute, not even getting a chance to inspect their bedrooms, when there was a knock on the door.

Allison found herself closest. She opened it with a smile to find a young man about her brother’s age with short, scruffy red hair and thick hipster-like glasses.

“Hi.” He stuck out his hand. “I’m Brad. Brad Reiter. Just saw the new landlord show you in. How you liking it so far?”

She glanced back at Robert and her brother, who both shrugged, then took Brad’s hand to shake. “Nice to meet you.”

The red head peered passed her with curiosity and saw the guys.

“These two are Robert, and my little brother Ken.” As an afterthought, and knowing it would please Lt. Moses, she added, “He’s a transfer to UFL.”

She offered for Brad to come in, which he did so gladly after shaking both Robert and Ken’s hands.

“I’m a student there too,” he said to Ken. “What you studying?”

“Uh… I don’t really know yet. A place opened up at the last minute, so it’s been a bit of a whirlwind.”

“Ah, I hear you.” He nodded and shoved his glasses back up his nose.

They talked for an hour or so about this and that, and by the end of it Allison was sure Ken had founded a new friend. The mission must be daunting enough for him, without adding the stress of acting like a college student day-in-day-out.

Brad excused himself not long after, and Robert was almost glad to be rid of him.

“That boy can sure talk. You’d have thought he’d never seen another human being before.”

“Lay off it.” Ken shrugged. “I kinda like him.”

The rangers were left to their own devices for a week before they heard anything from the Agency.

Mr Sanders seemed to drop off the face of the earth after showing them around, and their bills, of which most were taken care of, were to be forwarded to a third party address. The Agency weren’t making it easy.

Yet they had to admit, it was all rather fool proof. All too fool proof.

Robert decided one morning he wanted to talk to Sanders. If they were going work together, however indirectly, then he felt he needed to know a little more about the guy. Would it be considered stepping out of line to be a conscientious human being? He must have had a family, or friends, or some semblance of life outside the military.

He knocked on the door of flat one.

A woman with a military hair cut answer the door. “Yeah?”

“Hi, uh, is Mr Sanders in?”

A twinkle of amusement flickered across her face. She folded her arms. “Mr Sanders has been moved on. I’m your new landlady.”

“New?”

“Yes,” she said. “Now, if there’s nothing building-based I can do for you, I’ve got things to be getting on with. Good day.”

She door slammed down. Her footstep could be heard beating away into the flat.

Mr Sanders has been moved on?! What does that mean? Robert had a feeling he didn’t want to find out. This move out of the city was supposed to be about getting separation from the Agency, when in reality they seemed closer than ever.

He thought back to the General’s dislike of them, and wondered whether, if given half the chance he would move them on as well.

What am I thinking? Of course he would!


Ken had met up with Brad early on his first morning at the University of Fort Lowsdale. He’d stepped out of the flat to find the man locking his front door, and figured ‘what the heck’.

It turned out that Brad was striving for a bachelors in education. He wanted to teach the curriculum he believed would help society through to the final days of the infection… if they ever came.

Ken realised he could talk for hours about the subject when he finally shut up just outside the UFL library. Apparently, or so Brad thought, the current key stage curriculum was woefully unprepared for the task of bringing up a generation of kids who knew nothing but refugee camps and threats from beyond the wall, kids who may well have come from the foster care system.

All very intriguing stuff that Ken really didn’t care much about. He liked Brad’s dedication though and decided then and there to find something he could be so passionate about... once the Cross Rangers became a thing of the past… if they became a thing of the past.

Ken spent the day trying out half hour segments of a variety of courses.

“As it so happens,” the admissions clerk said. “We don’t usually do this for transfer students, but the dean has granted you permission. Consider yourself lucky.”

He’d laughed for a good minute at that—luck had nothing to do with it—but at the end of the day he was still no closer to registering his major and minors.


As one of society’s fortunate ones, Allison had so far managed to ignore the problems people were facing thanks to the Black Water.

It took little more than a few seconds on that first morning to realise how stupid she’d been, and just how devastating things had been before the Agency erected the quarantine wall.

She met a family, a young couple and their baby daughter, while shadowing a fellow support worker.

The father had worked as a doctor just south of the quarantine border, bringing in enough money for his family to live in a huge house in Aloha Springs.

About a month before the start of the wall’s construction, a pack of mutated bears had torn through their neighbourhood. He’d done his best to tend to the wounded, but by the end of the night his entire practice lay in ruins. With no source of income and no town left to live in, they’d be forced to travel with a group of refugees headed for Fort Lowsdale.

His little girl had not long come down with a possibly fatal fever from a tick bite on the journey north. Allison listen to him recite the exact medical attention she needed to make it past the end of the month. It all sounded very treatable, but a harsh reality hung over them.

There was simply no money to treat the poor girl.

Back at the flat, Ken and Robert had tried desperately to cheer Allison up, but she simply couldn’t shake that experience. Not in a hurry, perhaps not ever.

She knew now what being a Cross Ranger meant. If they had the power to stop things like that happening, there’d be no further need for initiatives like General Bryant’s Agency and therefore more money to divert to refugees.


At the weekend, Lt. Moses came over for lunch. Her cover story was that of a childhood friend who lived in the area. She insisted many times they call her Catherine.

In the time since they last seen each other, she been busy. Not only were the ranger’s codenames official Agency designations now, along with Black Cross and all future uses of the format, but they’d been granted project status.

As Catherine explained it, if you had project status you had access to a portion of the Agency’s research and development team.

Although they were a few days from completion she showed them the plans for a series of personal weapons, tailored to individual magi powers. Robert would have access to an extending spear that would channel his fire, Allison, a pair of ornate swords like those used for centuries in Asia, and Ken, a blaster gun. Aside from those three R&D had drafted plans for other such weapons but without a ranger to design them around had put them on hold.

They took a break from work to have lunch and talk about the week, but eventually Catherine worked the conversation back toward the mission.

“I’ve also had another idea. We know there’s a least one other magi active right?”

“Black Cross.” Robert recalled the battle he’d had with the mystery ranger, specifically being shot at point blank range and knocked out of the battle with No-one.

“Exactly,” she said. “And knowing he isn’t really on our side… or any side… gives us even more reason to find the remaining two magi. After all, you’ll have better odds if you work in greater numbers.”

“Sure…” Allison considered this for moment, then pointed out a glaring hole in the plan. “But how do we find them? We can’t just ask.”

Catherine pulled a tablet pc from her bag and booted it up. “Ken, do you remember the blood sample we took when the Agency first brought you in.”

He scratched the crook of his elbow. “Yeah?”

“We had it analysed after you activated and compared against a baseline human. Uh… me. I just got the results back this morning.” She loaded up the data in question and highlighted the portion of Ken’s genome that linked him to the clan power. “Using this, I believe I can find them, the others.”

“We just have to ask an entire town’s worth of people for blood and wait for the results.”

“Enough of the sass, Robert. This is serious.” Though he had only been joking that time, he’d struck a nerve. She’d had more than enough of his constant criticism of her methods, and made a note to bring it up at a later date.

She continued: “A hair will do at a push, but yes, blood is preferable. I’m working on getting access to the national hospital records to speed things up, but in the meantime, make sure you keep an eye peeled for the warning signs.”

Robert grinned at Ken, mischief etched across his face. He turned to Catherine. “What about the guy across the hall? Brad Reiter?”

He sniggered, though the lieutenant didn’t seem to get the joke. Neither did the Powel’s…

He waved a hand around and attempted to backtrack. “You know, because he’s the last person you’d expect? A dork like that... No?”

Catherine folded her arms. Robert was really pissing her off now. “The very nature of this power makes it all inclusive. By definition of genetics, it could be Brad, but we have no way of knowing unless we test his DNA.”

“Dude, I was only kidding around.”

“Well don’t!” Allison snapped. Her mind flipped to the family back at the refugee camp. “You’re still treating this like a game, Robert. I thought it was cute at first, but you don’t know the first thing about suffering, do you? You still have parents, and you’ve never actually talked to anyone less fortunate than you. Just… grow up!”

She pushed her chair back and stormed off to her bedroom. The sudden motion threatened to topple it, but Ken stayed it and tucked it back under the breakfast bar.

“Do you want me to go talk to her?”

“No.” Catherine shook her head and squared up to Robert. “Because she has every right to upset with you. Maybe it was a mistake to give you a job in a kitchen. Maybe you should have been the one to work at the camp instead.”

“I just-“

“Don’t just anything. I’m with Allison on this. You don’t understand the magnitude of the situation.”

Robert stood too and flung his arms up in protest. “But I want to understand!”

Catherine sighed. “I think we better leave it there for today. I have work to do, and I suggest you search for new magi as well.” She pushed her tablet back into her bag and headed for the door to let herself out. “They’re out there, Robert. And by God we’ll need their help.”


General Bryant stood alone on the Agency HQ helipad.

This time of night the base ran on the barest of skeleton crews, but to make sure he wasn’t disturbed he ordered all personnel away from the hanger levels.

If they wanted to keep their commissions, they’d do what he said.

Finger by finger, hand by hand, he pulled off his gloves to reveal the two glowing magi symbols of the air and darkness clans.

He turned his eyes out to the wilderness around the mountain. The base stood just north of the quarantine wall, and from the helipad one could see the infected lands, huge beasts that didn’t bear thinking about and the rivers of vile black ichor.

And yet his eye glossed over that and to focus on all the abandoned towns and villages. He growled and activated his morpher.

Before he could morph, he felt a wetness trickle down his cheek. He wiped it off on the palm of his hand. Tears of black… Black Water.

I’ll purge this land, I’ll purge it all…

“… If it’s the last thing I ever do!” he yelled into the wind. He turned in the other direction to see the city spread out before him in the shadow of the mountains.

“This is my town.”

Good so far

Thanks a bunch :-)

I have a few special things planned that should be published alongside Incursion 8 onwards, so there's plenty to look forward to.

Robert slid the current order onto the hot plate and called, “Service.” A waiter rushed over to whisk the food away into the depths of the busy dining hall.

He grabbed the next order as if on autopilot, read it and clipped it onto a ‘current’ peg.

Even though he’d not been working at the restaurant for long, he knew the menu back to front, front to back. He guessed he could probably cook it in his sleep. So as he prepared the meal, he thought to himself.

He was honestly pretty bummed out. His friends took him for an idiot, for someone who couldn’t understand a damn thing.

I’m not insensitive… I’ve lived through plenty of attacks since the meteor shower.

He flipped the two burgers and chuckled.

You don’t have to be parentless, or homeless, or frickin’ shirtless to get the magnitude of the situation…

But maybe they had a point.

Robert had never asked for it, but they looked to him for leadership, he knew that. He didn’t want to accept it, but he saw it. Ken didn’t trust himself to break free of his sister’s shadow, but Allison? When Robert did something stupid, sure, she knew when to rein him in, but that wasn’t the same as leading.

He assembled the two plates—burgers and fries—directly in the service area and called for someone to deliver it to the customers.

He paused. The time had come to try something different. They didn’t need a red ranger who wanted to lighten the mood. The world was at war with a sentient plague.

They needed a man who was plain, simple and to the point. They needed a military man.

Robert felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He tapped another chef on the shoulder, apologised and made a break for it out back before the manager noticed.

“Hello?”

“Rob. It’s Allison.” An explosion sounded in the background. “We’ve got trouble on the UFL campus.”

“I’ll be right there.”

He hung up and glanced back through the door into the kitchen. He sighed, tore off his apron and threw it over the lid of the trade recycling bin, and ran.

It’s only a job...


When he arrived at the university, Robert noticed the panic first. Though he had nothing to go on, he felt certain that following the loudest noises would lead him to the others.

Sure enough, he found them on the football field already morphed and engaged in battle with No-one; the mutated, bandaged and blindfolded almost copy of General Bryant with an obsession for oblivion.

Finding a secluded spot, he morphed and dashed into the fray. He distracted the mutant with the hottest stream of flame he could muster

“Next time,” he yelled. “Go on a rampage after my shift ends. I’m so getting fired for this.”

He hesitated, imagining White Cross’ derision of his quip. No-one took the opening and slammed his bulging, oversized arm into Red Cross’ stomach.

He crumpled to the floor. It felt like being hit by a falling tree.

The rangers regrouped, and helped him to his feet.

“Point taken, Allison.” He readied himself for the next attack. “I’m not going to be that guy anymore. No more messing around.”

“That’s really not what I meant…”

“No. My mind’s made up. I’m all guts now.”

He stepped forward and swung his arms out to the side. “Iron advent!” His arms hardened, taking on the appearance of metal, and seemed to glint with unseen edge.

“Hit me with a wind, White.”

She was about to protest when realised what Red Cross was up to. She launched a whirlwind straight for him, hoping he knew what he was doing.

The wind picked him up and spun him until he was nothing more than blur of shining metal grey and red, a vortex of death. The tornado advent tore toward No-one. The mutant jumped from its path, but White Cross used her power to curl it back.

Robert’s blade arms sliced into No-one, rending flesh and bandage alike. The gauze fell from his regular sized arm to reveal bad scarring across the entirety of the back of his hand. His usual air of nonchalance broke and he frantically attempted to hide it.

This gave Blue Cross a chance to launch his own. “Flood Advent!” he roared, and a torrent of water gushed forth from his hands washing No-one off his legs.

He hit the grass with a dull whump and melted instantly into a pool of Black Water that seeped down into the soil.

The grass seemed to double in size in his wake.

Red Cross moved to demorph, but they’d drawn somewhat of a crowd. He didn’t know what he thought would happen, but there were no cheers, no clapping or whooping at their victory, only whispers and uncertainty.

“What crawled up their-“

“Let’s get out of here,” said White Cross.


Almost as soon as mobile phone footage of the battle on University grounds had leaked to the media via social media, General Bryant had called Lieutenant Moses in, and he didn’t sound happy.

Then again, he never did these days.

She skulked down the corridor in the Agency’s mountain HQ, saw his office door open and knocked as she entered.

General Bryant shot up, and pulled on his gloves. Catherine thought she’d just seen a glowing symbol on the back of his hand, but quickly shrugged it off. His skin was a lot paler than last she’d seen him.

“Lieutenant. You have some explaining to do.”

“If this is about the university…”

“It’s about your ranger’s tearing around a billion dollar campus and failing to put down the enemy. We can’t afford to look like fools.”

“But no one outside HQ can link the Cross Rangers to the Agency.”

“Someone soon will, Moses. The public aren’t stupid.” He slapped a crisp newspaper down on the desk. No doubt he’d had it pulled it fresh from the press before the story ran to the entirety of Steele City. “The media are already slating them for the damage they did to the football field.”

“What do you expect me to do? Tell them they can’t do their job?”

The General’s voice rose to a roar, ricocheting out into the corridor. “Keep them occupied and out of the way! Understand?” He choked on his anger for a second, before pushing onward regardless. “We have trained professionals on hand to deal with situations like these in a safe, and more importantly cost effective, manner.”

“But-“

“I hate the Black Water as much as the next,” he interrupted. “but if you don’t keep the rangers on a short leash, I’m going to be forced to cut the project loose.”

Catherine’s mind flashed back to the magi symbols she’d glimpsed—had he noticed? She wondered—and the continued appearance of the Black Cross in the city since they’d relocated. He’d been more than forthcoming with his hatred for the ‘untrained menace’ as he called them.

Did he want them out of the way so he, his fellow darkness clan member the Black Cross, and the Agency could claim all the glory? And what, if anything, did this have to do with his decreasing health after being engulfed by the Black Water?

In a way, she didn’t want to know—the longer the Cross Rangers could do their thing without interference, the better—but she suspected, in the end, she mightn’t have a choice.

A torrent of threats later, many painted in colourful language, he dismissed her and she headed straight for R&D. Now more than ever, she wanted to find the next magi.


The Rangers had gone straight back to the flat. Robert cooked diner out of sheer habit, and they ate in silence, before turning in for the night.

Had he surprised them with his decisiveness? In all honestly, he hadn’t felt any difference. Joking around, no joking around… as long as he got the job done, what was all the fuss about?

He could tell however that Allison was still miffed with him.

What good would his knowing suffering do? Did it help her get through the day? Robert would much rather attack from the high ground. Stay in high spirits that is. What helped him get through it all was a dogged, stubborn belief that they had the power to make a difference, no matter what.

Why else would they have been given such a chance?

There was a knock at the door but before anyone could answer a key slid in to the lock and there stood their new landlady. She marched straight over to Robert who was still in the kitchen washing up and slapped a contract down in front of him.

“Shape up, Lam. I can’t negotiate every time you get yourself fired.”

Almost as quick as she’d appeared, she disappeared back out the door.

A quiet, groggy voice came from the bedroom corridor. Allison followed. “Robert? Who was that?”

“Our landlady.”

“Landlady?”

“Yeah.”

Allison rolled her eyes and spun on her heels. She trudged straight back to her room.

Honestly, that summed it all up for Robert. It was difficult keeping track of everything they were supposed to be, so difficult in fact it encroached on the crux of the matter. They, as Rangers, existed to save people from evil. That was all, it, the one and the only.

He saw that now, and if General Bryant wanted to keep them on their toes with personnel changes then so be it.


Lt. Moses burst into the flat at eight in the morning the next day.

A groggy Robert stopped shuffling around the kitchen island, and set the milk down on the side. It took him a moment to realise who he was looking at.

He rubbed his eyes and sighed. “Good morning, Catherine…”

“Robert, are the other’s awake?” she asked. “I have some great news.”

Ken and Allison stepped out of their bedrooms as if on cue. “We are now.”

“I stayed up late last night scouring through DNA records. It took a while but after matching it all against the electoral roll, I found him.” She grinned and held up a manila folder. “I actually found him, and you won’t believe who it is.”

“Really?”

They gathered in the kitchen and Catherine pulled a picture from the folder. She slapped it down with a flourish.

Robert’s mouth hung open. “And there’s no way you’re wrong?”

She folded her arms. “Not unless my father’s theories are wrong—did I mention he devoted his life to this?”

“Still…”

“Brad Reiter.” Ken blinked, rubbed his eyes and took a second look. “Brad is the next magi?!”

So, before a do is in any way furthered, here's something a little special I've been keeping under wraps.

Every so often I'm going to be releasing a character-focused short story, and as a bonus, you guys get some nifty art work to go with it. Just for being Tokunation.

Enjoy.


Shoulders hunched, Robert slid in to the restaurant kitchen through the back door. Of course the Agency had bargained for his job back. Of course. He dreaded to think what their newest lie was. If he kept his head down and did the job he was supposed to, he hoped it wouldn’t come up.

It would have been nice to know what the plan was though. How did they expect him to keep being a Ranger secret when he didn’t know the part they intended for him to play?

Ah well, he thought, hanging his jacket on a peg on his way to wash his hands, Par for the course really.

He dried off and slammed the paper towel into the bin.

His boss heard the commotion and poked his head around the door. “How are you doing, Robert?”

“Oh, I’m fine, chef,” he lied.

“Did you get that family emergency sorted out?”

Robert couldn’t tell if he believed the story or not, but either way it seemed to have passed inspection… this time. “Yeah, thanks. Sorry about the other day.”

“Don’t mention it.” He too crossed over to the skin to wash his hands. As he lathered up, he spoke once more. “Things these days are tough. My family’s all right up here, but I can’t imagine what it’s like down in Steele City. You’re a good man for dealing with shit like that and coming out the other side.”

“Thanks, man.” Robert raised an eyebrow and smiled. “You know, you’re the first person I’ve met who really gets it.”

“I’m always willing to give second chances, but…” The chef chuckled. “I’ve got to admit, your aunt makes a persuasive case.” He winked on the way past Robert. “No more cutting out on a shift without telling me though.”


Once the lunch time rush died down, Robert took his break.

If he had one good thing to say about working here, it had to be that getting one free grill of your choice. A definite perk. He supposed working wasn’t all that bad. The menu had never been difficult to cook to deadline considering half of it was pre-prepared.

To give the situation its due--being a ranger, playing into the Agency’s hand--it had forced him to think about his life. Back in Steele City he’d done little more than drift. You could only play so much football you before realised you weren’t doing anything truly productive with your time.

The kind of good that came from dodgy situations always surprised him. Life moved in mysterious ways.

The front door chimed. Robert looked up from his burger expecting to see a customer, and locked eyes with the landlady, his supposed aunt.

“What are you doing here?”

“Now, now, is that anyway to treat family?” she grinned and slid into the booth next to him. “I just thought I’d come and check in on you. Call it protecting my assets. If you don’t work, you can’t pay rent.”

“Is that why you came, huh…” Robert dropped the burger back onto his plate. His appetite deserted him.

“Look. I understand why you don’t trust me, so let me get one thing straight,” she whispered. “My only concern is your cover. Give me a reason to talk to you about it and I will. Otherwise I’ll keep well out of your business. You’re Moses’ concern, not mine.”

“That’s great. Just fine.” He stood, taking his lunch with him. “Answer me this though. Why are you here and not Mr Sanders?”

“Sanders was… a misjudgement on our behalf.”

Robert sighed. “That’s all you’re going to tell me, isn’t it.”

Her silence said it all.

“Okay, whatever. I’ve got work to do, you’ve got work to do. We done here?”

“Of course.”

As Robert neared the door to the kitchen, his ‘aunt’ spoke again. “Mr Sanders wasn’t working out, that’s all. So we got rid of him. Let that be a warning to you and your friends. Nothing you do in life makes you immune to getting fired.”


Toward the end of Robert’s shift Allison, Ken and Catherine came into to see how he was doing.

“How’s getting rehired working out for you?” Ken said, slipping into a booth with the others.

“Oh, you know, same old,” Robert said with a shrug. “Besides, it beats sitting around back home in Steele City doing nothing.”

“Nothing?” Allison raised an eyebrow and folded her arms. “Us hanging out was doing nothing?”

“You know that’s not what I meant...”

Ken shook his head and glared at his sister. “Knock it off, Al.” He turned back to Robert. “She’s just messing with you, dude.”

“Oh… I knew that.”

Catherine smiled. Even without formal training the three of them acted as a team, no doubt about that. She supposed she could have ended up lumped with a bunch of bitter enemies. Better not look a gift horse in the mouth.

“So what would you three like to do tonight?” She said.

Robert thought for a moment. When he spoke, he did so slowly but surely. “Try to take over the world, perhaps?”

And now back to our regular programming...



Ken, Robert and Allison stood outside Brad’s flat.

Robert scratched the back of his head, and suppressed the urge to whistle. “Have you ever…?”

“No Rob,” said Allison with a sigh. “I’ve never had to tell someone they may have mystic powers coursing through their veins, that they might be the next Cross Ranger, sworn to do battle with a vile evil.”

“Then how should we do this?”

Allison glared at Robert. “I thought you said you weren’t going to joke around anymore?”

“It’s who I am.” Robert shrugged. “Deal with it.”

Ken shook his head at their antics. “Just let me do it. He’s my friend, I’m sure I’ll figure something out.”

He knocked once on the door and Brad answered in his pyjamas, bowl of cereal in hand. “What’s up, uh, guys? It’s still pretty early, you know?”

Ken chuckled. “Sorry about that. Look, my friends and I need to talk to you about something.”

“Can’t it wait until I finish my breakfast?” He took a bite and spoke with his mouthful, “And maybe get dressed properly.”


Half an hour later, they sat together in the ranger’s flat.

“Brad,” said Ken. “Allow me to introduce Lt. Catherine Moses of the, uh, Agency.”

“Pleasure.” He fiddled with his glasses and looked from the Powel siblings, to Robert, and the lieutenant.

He couldn’t begin to imagine what the military would want with him. He’d always kept his head down. Even on the internet. “Hey, so what’s this about? I’ve got a couple of other things to do today…”

Lt. Moses took a second to compose herself. “This is going to sound somewhat… crazy, I know, but the Agency has a few questions to ask you.”

Brad frowned. “I’m not in trouble am I?”

“No,” she chuckled. “You’re not.”

He didn’t think he was being paranoid. Everyone assumed they were in trouble when the phrase ‘a few questions’ reared its ugly head, right?

“Hear her out, yeah?” Ken said.

Catherine nodded. “Now, what do you know of your family’s heritage?”

“Not a lot,” he shrugged.

She produced the manila wallet she’d compiled and spread a few documents across the coffee table.

Brad’s face lit up at the DNA result print out. “Oh hey. That’s cool. I’m studying the genome project in class at the moment…” Realisation dawned on him when he spotted the subject’s name at the top of the sheet.

“This is of me isn’t it…” He studied it closer and tapped a sequence Catherine had circled in red pen. “What’s this?”

“That’s what I want to talk to you about. Allison, Ken and Robert all have similar such sequences in their own DNA.” She shuffled a three new pages to the top of the pile. As promised, the same code repeated itself, circled by the same red pen.

“It marks you four as part of an ancient bloodline that...” She too began to wonder. How did you tell someone a truth you knew to be real, but one that sounded utterly ridiculous.

“Alright.” Robert stood suddenly. “This is going nowhere.”

He held out his hands and summoned his magi symbols.

Brad gasped. “Oh… wow, that’s…”

Catherine shook her head and pushed passed her trepidation. “That fact is, we believe you are descended from one or more of the nine ancient clans—though I can’t say for sure which ones—and may be in possession of a… power.”

“I’m not sure I follow.” He tilted his head.

Robert shook his head. “For goodness sake.”

He stood back and crossed his arms at his waist. “Cross form.” He swung his arms, manifesting his morpher and gem.

Brad shielded his eyes against the red light, and when he opened them again he saw a Red-suited superhero in Robert’s place.

“You’re Red Cross, one the rangers from on the news! You three battled a … guy down on the UFL football field.”

“Bingo!” Thank God he finally gets it… “And we think you’re one of us.”

“How would I know? I certainly can’t do anything like that.”

Before anyone could answer him or he had time to process what was happening, an alarm sounded from within the lieutenant’s bag. She retrieved her military-issue communicator and pressed the button on the side.

She considered asking Brad to leave, but, since she was pretty sure he was the one, she ignored her gut for a change.

“This is Moses. Go ahead.”

“A Black Water infested beast is on its way towards Fort Lowsdale,” a voice said. “The rangers are cleared to intercept and stop it before it reaches the town border.”

“Understood.”

“Brad.” Robert demorphed. “Come with us. Maybe if you’re part of the action, we’ll figure this whole thing out quicker.”

“I don’t know… I’ll just get in the way, won’t I?”

“You’ll have to decide later,” Allison said on her way to the door with the others. “We gotta go. Now.”


The beast, a hair bigger than a two story house lifted its huge foot from the wreckage of a building. It shook its leg to rid itself of the masonry, and howled in pain when it found it couldn’t. The masonry clung to it, grafted right into the flesh.

The creature had once looked like a cross between a red howler monkey and a six-banded armadillo. Before that… who knows.

Since crossing the quarantine it had grown larger and larger still, as more material fused with it; huge tree trunks for legs, parts of destroyed buildings for makeshift armour. Vines snaked their way across it’s skin, and sticking out of its flank was a half-submerged car, a Nissan. It’s eyes were hollowed out black pits of nothingness that would forever haunt the people of the towns it left in its wake.

Lt Moses’ Agency car skidded to a halt in the beast’s lumbering path of destruction. The rangers leaped out, but hesitated seeing the size and extent of what they were up against.

“Kind of makes that Elk look like a mouse, huh.” said Robert.

“And we almost didn’t bring that down…” Her voice monotone.

Ken popped his knuckles and stretched his arms above his head. “No time like the present?”

They ranked up and crossed their arms in a x by their waists.

“Cross form!” they called in unison, and swung their arms in opposing arcs. The power overtook them and their armour formed in less than a fraction of second.

“Any bright ideas?” Red Cross asked, painfully aware the beast, which he decided to call the Howlerdillo, was getting closer, far quicker than he imagined a creature it’s size could.

Brad jumped out of the car followed by Lt. Moses and stared in a horrified kind of awe at the mutant monstrosity.

“That shouldn’t be possible.”

The lieutenant sighed, “You have seen the news recently, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, but nothing like that. Men with huge arms, rabid animal attacks, rangers… just not… Damn!”

He now knew first-hand what the military and the Cross rangers fought against day in day out along the quarantine wall. He had only an inkling of what it meant to stand up to such heinousness, to be a hero for the people. It was one thing to want to help teach kids affected by the disaster, but that was akin to treating the symptoms, not the cause, of a disease.

It was another thing entirely to do something practical about it.

“I didn’t have time to explain earlier.” Lt Moses hung her head. “What we’re asking of you is a lot. Evidently.”

She looked on as the rangers did their best to grab the lumbering beast’s attention. “It’ll consume your life if you let it. My boss, General Bryant is a controlling man and… well I still haven’t got the rangers out from under him… that’s not- my point is this. If you are a magi, I want you to know what you’re getting yourself into, before you agree to anything.”

“I understand.” Brad nodded. He looked Catherine in the eye and winked, “and hey, we both know that genes never lie.”

He took a step forward, as though instinct told him to follow the rangers lead, but he stopped himself and looked down at his hands.

Nothing.

“What if I’m not magi?” He called back over the din of elemental attacks.

“Then everything goes back to normal,” she replied. “... As long as you sign a nondisclosure agreement.”

“Oh.” Brad stared at his hands again. “But that life is boring.”

In that instant, pain lanced through his brain unlocking the centuries’ worth of genetic memory within him.

Now he really understood. “Here it goes.”

Brad thrust his hands into a x formation at his waist. One hand lit up with a shining blue droplet symbol, the other with three blades of grass and the earth beneath all in green.

Catherine smiled. One point to the science of tracking down magi. Have Bryant’s men even figured this out yet?

She hadn’t told the rangers she’d kept the search to herself. She hadn’t even told them what she suspected about Bryant. Most of all she dreaded the morning, when the General found out about this, but she’d cross that bridge when she came to it.

Consequences be damned. I might have just saved the world by finding Brad.

Brad swung his arms out to the side in opposing arcs like he’d seen the others do, then crossed them again in a plus across his chest.

“Cross form!” His morpher shimmered into existence, as did a green gem baring his mixed clan power symbol. “Green Cross.”

Green energy, a force from across the generations, crackled outward and overtook him. Lt. Moses took a step back.

When the light died down, he once more looked at his hands now clad in green armour with blue accents here and there.

Without a second thought otherwise, the new Green Cross leaped forward into battle, to join his team mates and grab destiny by the neck.

To actually do something for a change.

Not in the future… now.

I'm not one to bump my own stuff or pimp unnecessarily, but here's the top secret behind the scenes low down on my posting schedual for Magi Tribe: Cross Ranger. For transparencies sake, you know?


Every tuesday I post the next installment over on FanFiction.net. It goes live about 30 minutes after that. Due to guidelines over there, it's stripped of special formating and generally a more streamlined read.

Every Wednesday: And of course, every Wednesday. I post here for you lovely lot (and anywhere else I need to). But for being such an awesome forum there's a trade off. You may not get the exclusive in terms of words, but to make up for it you get exclusive artwork (and many things in future that I have yet to dream up!)

Selected Weekends I post my little side stories (eg, things like Robert's Story a few weeks ago), one-shots (top secret. do not talk about), and things tangentially related to the current plot (artwork, etc) that enhances your viewing pleasure.

And yes, like I said above, some of these will be exclusives. All for tokunation. For example, no one else has seen the Police Ranger pixels.

Don't let anyone say I'm not good to you guys :D


Now, it's Wednesday so on with our regular programming!

Shorter one this week... but only because the story was too big to fit in one chapter ;)


Brad Reiter, the Green Cross ranger, dove into battle. The Power coursed through him into his hands and feet, and it felt like he was part of the Earth itself. Stronger, unmoveable.

“Landslide Advent!” he shouted, slamming both his fists against the ground. The shock waves kicked up the ground in front of the Howlerdillo.

It’s front legs sunk into the fissure. It stumbled forward onto its knees, but managed to stay upright more or less.

It let out the unholiest of roars.

The Rangers regrouped.

“Nice move!” Red Cross patted him on the back.

“Cheers but-” The Howlerdillo swung a thick vine at them, but Green Cross shoved them to the ground just in time. “… But I… we haven’t beat him yet.”

The four rangers helped each other to their feet.

The titanic beast lashed it’s vines to boulders nearby and attempted to haul itself out of Green Cross’ fissure.

Heavy gunfire splashed across the vines, severing them from the Howlerdillo. It roared out in pain, and redoubled its struggle to work itself free. A second volley of precise gunfire pinned it in place.

Two APVs ground to a halt, flanking Lt. Moses’ Agency car. Squads of men and women in full military-grade armour poured from the vehicles and ranked up between the lieutenant and the Rangers, their guns trained on the Black Water mutant.

The superior officer, a captain by her uniform, approached Lt. Moses.

“Austin,” hissed Catherine.

She was quite surprised to see the troops mobilised against the Howlerdillo considering the General’s attitude towards the Rangers. Nevertheless Maria Austin had always been willing to lend a hand.

“Lieutenant.” Seeing the front line was secured by her team and the defensive perimeter in place, she lowered her own gun, letting it hang on the strap that secured it to her armoured jacket. “I thought you and your team might like some back up.”

“Uh, yeah sure, but-“ What about Bryant?

As it so happened she didn’t actually need to voice her worries, Maria got there first.

“He’s lost it this time, Moses. And I mean that seriously. He’s disbanded R&D, bumped off your project status…” She leaned in, lowering her voice so her troops couldn’t overhear them. “I shouldn’t be out here. Even though we’re down to a skeleton crew, we’ve be ordered to attack your rangers on sight. Threat level beta, just behind the Black Water.”

Catherine sighed into her hand and squeezed her eyes shut. “At least he had the foresight to leave the Black Water as the alpha target…”

“That’s the thing though, he’s basically spinning his wheels on that front,” said Maria. “I’ve been pleading for more men, heightened patrols along the border, reinforcement of quarantine wall… all he cares about is keeping you off the radar.”

“I don’t understand... Why are you risking your career for this?”

“I joined the Agency to fight bad guys. Not your team. As far as I’m concerned the Rangers are the only people doing anything productive.” She turned to face her troops, who every once in a while would lay down fire to keep the Howlerdillo pinned.

Though four Cross Rangers approached them, Maria ignored them and continued. “If doing the right thing means facing court martial or worse then… like hell am I gonna play lap dog to Bryant and his ego!”

Catherine smiled.

“Great to have you on board and all but...” Red Cross jerked his thumb at the Howlerdillo. “We need to do something about that.”

Maria regarded the Red Ranger. “Agreed.”

Lt. Moses remembered then that Captain Austin had been the one ordered to bring the Robert, Allison and Ken in after the Elk incursion. Not the best reunion.

Captain Austin raised her hand and called for her troops to cease fire. The soldiers parted for the Rangers, letting them through to the front of the formation.

The Howlerdillo paid no mind to the Rangers and continued its struggle against the fissure.

“All advents?” suggested the white ranger. “Ready?”

They raised their hands and found the very core of their magi power.

Green Cross and White Cross let their attacks fly first.

Green Cross’ slammed his hands into the ground a second time, the Landslide Advent’s shockwaves sundering the ground further. Now there was no escape. White Cross followed with her Tornado Advent. The winds tore across the beast’s body, kicked material up off the ground, and bit into its flesh, weakening it.

“Torrent Advent.” Blue Cross let out a powerful stream of water that knocked the Howlerdillo off it legs, and turned the ground into a boggy quicksand. Recognition of its plight seemed to dawn on the beast and it stopped struggling. In that moment the mutant looked tormented, as though it remembered now what it used to be before the infection.

Red Cross built up the intensity of his flames until the air itself rippled in haze. He could just about feel the heat on his face through the protection of his helmet. He hated putting down an animal like this—it was tormented, angry, not evil—but he knew what had to be done.

He’d known back when he and Allison faced off against the Elk downtown.

“Flame Advent!” He dashed toward to mutant and leaped high, angled his descent and drove his burning fists into it’s back.

The vines and vegetation across its body caught alight first, followed by the fuel tank of the car imbedded in its flank. Just as the Rangers and Soldiers had retreated to a safe distance, the Howlerdillo exploded in a huge ball of flame.

Green and Blue rangers looked at each other.

“That was lucky,” they said in unison.

Organic and inorganic material alike rained down around them.

The growl of engines and squealing tires sounded as two more jeeps emblazoned with the Agency insignia swerved to avoid falling masonry and engine parts.

The vehicles came to a sudden halt, kicking dust into the air. A few of Maria’s men coughed and choked, but altogether kept their cool. They knew who had arrived, but it took the rangers longer to catch on.

Soldiers wearing pitch black armour with full protective faceplates filed out, followed by General Bryant.

The General called them to a stop and replaced his beret on his head. With a calm only a veteran could muster, he glanced at the remains of the Howlerdillo, appraised the state of the fire raging around them and frowned.

“Captain Austin,” he called. He voice didn’t falter, nor did it rise above a conversation tone. “I hope you’re pleased with yourself…”

Lieutenant Moses stepped forward. “It was my idea, sir, I called her in to-“

“You did shit all, Moses,” Bryant snapped. “Stop being such a martyr.”

He walked forward with measured steps, disgust etched across his face. He knew these men and women had only been following their chain of command, but they sickened him all the same. The rot had spread far throughout his organisation, it seemed.

“I’m not sure who to start with first.” He began to remove his gloves a finger at a time.

Lt. Moses’ eyes widened.

General Bryant continued: “I know you deserve a court martial for your insubordination, Captain Austin, though I might punish your troops instead…” He hummed in mock consideration, and turned to Catherine. “And you Moses. I suppose in the end you were only doing a job I told you to do…”

He about faced, and walked down the line of soldiers, straight past the Cross Rangers and ignoring them altogether. Now facing away from them all, he dropped his gloves to the floor.

It didn’t take long for the Rangers to spot the symbols glowing on his clenched fists.

“At the end of the day, none of you are worthy of being associated with my Agency.” His voice remained level, quiet even.

The morpher and gem appeared on the back of his hand, and set in the centre was his combined magi symbol.

Red Cross recognised it instantly as the mixed Dark and Air clan.

General Bryant was the Black Cross Ranger.

He turned and crossed his arms in an x-shape. “Cross Form.”

He thrust them out to the side and slammed left palm against right fist. His armour materialised in a dark-purple surged of magi power.

“You. Utter…” Maria said through gritted teeth.

The man was mad. He’d attacked the rangers. He’d stood in their way while they tried to make the world a better place, more than once.

A guttural scream tore from her throat, and by the time she had her hands around his neck, a morpher had formed on the back of her own hands.

“The magi are really swarming today…” muttered Green Cross.

Though he couldn’t place the first half-symbol emblazoned on her morpher gem, Red Cross knew the second intimately.

Fire clan.

So. Where to begin...

My name is Brad Reiter. I was born and raised in the great wild north, proper small town country, and, long story short, I’m now an education major at the University of Fort Lowsdale. I’m writing these unmailed letters for the sake of historical accuracy.

I think...

That’s not enough, is it?

Honestly, not a lot happened in my life until recently. I suppose I’ve become known for a sort of independent streak though. Everyone seemed to assume I’d stay in town for the rest of my life, like people always did. So like hell I was going to do that. Then people thought I should get a job instead of going to university. No point bucking the trend of the quintessential uneducated family right? Well, you can guess what happened there.

I must say, applying to UFL was probably the best thing I could have done with myself.

I’m not trying to be a cliche; I don’t mind my home town, I suppose. It’s just… I know that’s not all there is to the world. I’ve often thought it would have been simpler to remain blissfully ignorant on that front... Realising there are forces in the world looking to kill you, or worse, without reason or rhyme, kind of puts a dampener on the whole thing.

And that, dear friend, is where the Cross Rangers come in. I shouldn’t really be telling you about them. Dangerous secrets and all that. Heh, yeah, and maybe one day I’ll actually get around to doing something with these letters.

I’d seen them on the news, read a few blogs on them. I didn’t think much of it at first, since the government were all too happy to neither confirm nor deny their involvement in bringing the rangers together.

I certainly didn’t think them a menace like loads of people did at the time. I didn’t know what I thought, really. I couldn’t understand them. Heroism seems a bit too much like hard work to me.

You always think you know how you’ll react in any given situation. People are so sure of themselves. I was always so sure of myself. The rangers moved in across the landing, one thing lead to another and they turned up at my door telling me I was some sort of mage - sorry Magi - like it was some how my duty to join them, become a cross ranger and do battle with evil.

Yeah ... but it sounded all a bit too much, know what I mean?

I think it was probably morbid curiosity more than anything that lead me to follow them out into the field to confront the Howlerdillo. I told myself I’d keep a cool head and observe. That thing was fucking huge (pardon the language).

Seriously though.

I guess confronted with hardship the brain does funny things. I soon found I was talking myself round to their cause. And that, as they say, was one step too far out onto the slippery slopes of destiny.

I always thought I’d buck the trend. When someone told me to do something, I’d do the opposite. That thought never crossed my mind when confronted by the prospect that I could be a hero. As soon as my brain cleared and instinct kicked in… I was a Cross Ranger.

The military doesn’t suit me. Then again, I don’t think I ever knew what suited me. Whatever happened next, being the Green Cross Ranger definitely suited me. No doubt about it. Good thing I had no clue what the future held for us then or I might have chosen differently otherwise.

Regards,
Brad.


Been a ranger for a few weeks now, and damn is it tiring.

The other day we were battling this mutant who… okay it doesn’t really matter.

Here’s the problem: this mission of ours is pretty damn important, even I can see that, but I haven’t seen my friends in days. They ask me if I want to hang out this evening, automatically I say I can’t. I’m just so worn out on it all. I wish it was easier to balance friendship outside of being cross ranger, but it’s not.

Maybe when all this is done I can have a life again.

Regards,
Brad.

P.S. Ken, Rob and the others are great, nice people, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes I wonder if we’re just too different, you know? Do they like music, animation, video games? I literally have no idea aside from a little common ground with Ken. If I said RWBY what would he say?

But I guess it doesn’t make much of a difference at the end of the day. We’re here to fight injustice, not chin wag.


It keeps me awake at night. It keeps me distracted in lectures.

Can we defeat the Black Water? Surely they’ll just keep coming back until every last drop of the stuff is eradicated.

Definitely sound’s like my whole life’s work is planned out for me…

We’ll have to see about that.
Regards,
Brad

-------
All templates used to make this and following artwork are used by the permission of their creator Taiko554. The rest of the work is mine, and all IP is mine. Thank you.

Weeks ago, Agency HQ

After Black Water’s attack in the hangar, General Bryant was rushed to the med bay.

“Let me go. That’s an order,” he yelled. He’d just seen his own people turn against one another, corpses infected by the infection. Now was not a time to be sitting around on hospital bed while quacks wasted effort.

When they eventually got him onto a bed, the base’s chief medical officer approached wearily.

“Sir, I’m sorry. I’m only doing my job,” she said. “I have the final verdict on whether or not you can return to duty.”

“I know that you blithering idiot. I’m a General damn it!” he roared.

She backed away at this, “Yes, sir, of course, sir.” She gestured for a subordinate to fetch her instruments. “Only… you just had a run in with pure Black Water. You and I both know what that means.”

He narrowed his eyes at the CMO. “Make it quick.”

Though the nurse had only been gone a few seconds, the doctor decided it was best she chase up on the matter and left the General alone.

By the time she got back with the diagnostic tools she need, Bryant had gone.


The General stumbled into his office and collapsed in his chair. He yanked a rag from the desk draw and coughed into it, doubling over almost.

He pulled back gasping for stolen breath. Black gunk stained the rag.

“Dammit!” He threw it clean across the room and stood suddenly, toppling his chair. The clattering would soon attract the attention of his secretary but frankly he didn’t care.

The rangers… they talked big, they had the power, but did they lift a finger to stop the Black Water from infecting him?

“Too bloody right they didn’t!”

His secretary poked his head around the door, speaking meekly, “Are you alright, General? Should I call for Doctor-“

“You’ll do no such thing!”

“As you wish, sir.” He left as quickly as he arrived, knowing not to trifle with the General when he was mood.


General Bryant stood alone in the hangar. He’d just had a meeting with Lieutenant Moses to discuss the Ranger situation and felt the need to let off some steam.

Though the CMO had attempt to recall him for the check-up he’d walked out on, he assured her he had never felt better. And it was only half a lie. The coughing had gotten worse. His chest felt… waterlogged and no matter how he tried, he couldn’t clear it.

But now he felt different. Every time the thought of the Rangers crossed his mind, anger surged through him, and that anger made him stronger.

He gazed wide eyed at the back of his hands. The sight of the two glowing symbols on made it all the more worse.

Darkness descended across his vision and he yelled obscenities into the empty hangar.


Black Cross prised Maria’s hands from around his throat, flipped her over his shoulder and forced her mass to the ground. A textbook example of judo technique.

He stood on her stomach and gleefully pushed the air from her lungs. “I considered you one of my best accomplishments.”

“Well, I’m sorry… sir… you’ll have to … rethink that,” she gasped.

Though Green Cross knew next to nothing about the General-turned-Ranger, he couldn’t stand idly by a watch him pick on a woman—soldier or not. He dashed forward and threw a punch at Black Cross’ head. The ranger stumbled backwards.

Meanwhile, Red Cross helped Maria to her feet.

She clutched her chest and studied the morpher on her hand.

Though she’d hardly admit it to anyone present, Maria had wanted the Ranger power for herself. At first, she’d wanted to take it from Robert and the gang. Surely it could be put to better use by the military. Then it dawned on her… she didn’t want that, not really.

She wanted to join them in their fight.

Only so much I can do as a conventional solider.

And so she did what she’d seen every Ranger do thus far, she ranked up with the other four and crossed her arms in a x-like fashion at her waist.

“Cross Form,” instinct compelled her to shout.

She swung her arms in wide, opposing arcs of glowing yellow magi power and recrossed them in a plus at her chest. The light overtook her and the Yellow Cross armour materialised around her, first the suit and then the helmet showing the combined symbols of fire and a stylised sound wave; what she now knew to be the symbol of the sonic clan.

White Cross took the centre of their formation and called out to Black Cross. “I don’t want to fight you anymore... In fact I’d rather us magi worked together, against our common enemy.”

Black Cross ignored her entirely and leapt forward, drawing his gun. He fired shadow bullets amongst them, intending to miss.

The Rangers scattered, but soon wished they hadn’t.

Black Cross lashed out with his magi power. “Shadow Advent!” A wave of darkness burst from him and spread in all directions, sparking against the five rangers armour.


With magical energies whipping up the ground, Lt. Moses ordered Maria’s troops to cover behind their APVs. Many wanted to join the fight. Some with the Rangers and some with General Bryant.

“Stop it!” She bellowed. Her sudden outburst surprised them enough they did as they were told. They knew Catherine Moses as a meek, quiet officer. A lackey and nothing more. To see her stepping out of her shell and taking charge was … unthinkable. “In-fighting will do us no good.”

She stood to attention where they could all see her, ignoring the battle raging beyond. “You heard White Cross. We all have a common enemy. The infection devastating our country, destroying lives, creating monsters like the one you fought today, from innocent wildlife no less! Is this really the time to squabble amongst ourselves?”

The soldiers merely murmured to themselves. None seemed completely happy, but no one put a toe out of line.

A hail of bullets cut a line between Lt Moses and the soldiers.

The General’s elite lowered their guns, their squad leader stepped forward. “It really doesn’t matter what any of you think. You’ve betrayed General Bryant.”

Maria’s troops jumped to their feet and raised their weapons again. It quickly became a stand-off.

The Elite leader continued, “And what do we do with deserters in times of war?”


Yellow Cross rolled into a crouched position. “Resonance Advent.”

She flung her arms out and a humming pure tone wave of sound burst from her. The concussive effect of the wave knocked Black Cross back a few metres, but didn’t stop there. The perfect tone resonated against his helmet. A crack snaked and webbed across his visor.

“You’ll pay for that, Austin,” he shouted, evidently the attack had blown his ear drums.

Red Cross grabbed her by the shoulder before she could take out any more of her fury on the man.

“Stop.” He didn’t raise his voice, he didn’t shout, he didn’t even command her—after all, she was the captain, not him—but he couldn’t let her go all out against Black Cross.

“Let me go, Red,” she warned.

“No.” Blue Cross stepped forward mimicking the red ranger. The others followed him and formed a circle around Yellow Cross.

“There are more important things to accomplish than beat up some…” White Cross turned her head to look at Black Cross, to make sure he got the full impact of what she was about to say. “… Some twisted mad man.”

Black Cross burst out laughing. “See?! This is why I wanted to keep you fools out of the picture. You’re pitiful moral code is stopping you from doing... anything!” He advanced toward them. “You don’t know war like I do. You don’t understand the real impact of this invasion. But what do I know…” He shrugged and held up his hands, palms to the sky. “I’m just some twisted mad man.”

He pulled his gun from its holster and fired it wildly into the air. “Cyclone Blitz!”

As the shadow bullets rained down they spun and corkscrewed, whipping up a violent wind that picked the rangers up and tossed them around like rag dolls. The fires smouldering in the ruined carcass of the Howlerdillo were blown clean out like birthday candles, and a thick screen of dust obscured their view of just about everything.

When the wind settled down, the Rangers lay broken and battered on the ground; their suits torn, shredded, and their helmets shattered.

To top it all off, Black Cross, his elite guard and Maria’s troops were nowhere to be seen.

“General Bryant.” Maria Austin snapped a salute at her new commanding officer. “First Lieutenant Maria Austin reporting, sir.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Lieutenant,” Bryant said, standing from behind his desk and offering the young officer a hand to shake.

Here was a man whose influence preceded him. A man who’d taken it upon himself to form the nation’s first and so far only defence initiative against the growing Black Water threat. Maria had positively jump at the chance to serve under him.

“I look forward to working for you, sir.”

Robert seriously thought about going to the hospital, but it was pointed out to him that questions might be asked. Five people; three young adults and two military officers, all in various states of hurt.

Instead they retired to the apartment.

“What the hell?” Brad cradled his arm, bruised and sprain from the fight. “Seriously. What the hell?!”

Ken had so far kept emotionally distant. “If we weren’t cut off before then…”

If you could see anger and betrayal Maria and Catherine would have drowned out the entire room. Robert thought they must have faced the brunt of General Bryant’s deceit. They’d known him the longest. They’d looked to him for guidance.

“General Bryant is Black Cross. He has total Agency control, a massive grudge against us and the Earth still faces the apocalypse.” Robert counted off on his fingers. “Is that about the most of it?”

Allison glared daggers at him as she limped back from the bathroom with the first aid kit. “Are you still being an arse, Rob?”

“I’m just making sure we’re, you know, on the same page.”

Catherine took the kit from Allison and started bandaging her team’s wounds. “The way I see it, we have only one choice. We need to concentrate on defeating the Black Water. Everything else is a distraction…”

Brad winced as she rubbed an antiseptic wipe over his cuts. “Even, what’s his name again? General Bryant?”

“Especially him.”

Maria stood all of a sudden and shoved her stool back under the breakfast bar. They all turned to her. “I’m sorry.”

Robert frowned. “Wait… why?”

“After I brought you in after that thing with the elk, I met with the General and the special committee to discuss… well, you rangers… the quarantine…” She squeezed her eyes closed and set her jaw, fighting for the courage to confess her guilt. “We decided it was best for everyone if you were kept quiet and out of the picture. We thought we had enough to deal with, and at the time I agreed.”

Allison took a stride towards her and enveloped her in a hug. “Whatever you think you did, you’re one of us now. It’s in the past.”

Maria shrugged out of the wholly unwanted hold. “It’s not about thinking I did you wrong. Bryant gave me the deciding vote. I got you and rangers sent out here to Fort Lowsdale.”

“And?” said Ken. “We’d be doing our thing wherever we were based.”

“If I’d said no back then, if I suggested ‘keeping them on a short leash’ you’d still have project status, you’d have all kinds of equipment.”

Robert remembered the weapon blueprints Catherine had shown them. No doubt they were complete considering Black Cross had his blaster.

He finished tying off a bandage and stood. “We don’t need Bryant’s approval. We just have to bust in and take back our stuff.”

Allison rolled her eyes.

“I’m new to this, but…” Brad shrugged. “I’m guessing you don’t just waltz into a military base. Especially if you’re on their most wanted list.”

“He’s got a point, Rob,” Ken agreed.

“Actually,” said Catherine. “We should raid the place.”

Maria raised an eyebrow. “Oh, now I know you’ve lost your mind.”

“Think about it. Us taking the fight to him is the last thing Bryant would expect.” She passed across to laptop and opened an encrypted blank document. “The General had a major god complex before he went power crazy. He thinks that base is bloody impenetrable.”

Catherine began to type up a plan off the cuff. Maria looked over her shoulder and smiled.

“You may be onto something...”

Brad took a moment get things straight in his mind. “Am I hearing you right? We’re going to break into a military stronghold, headed by a power-mad general with magi powers and an entire army at his disposal, for a few new weapons?”

Ken clapped him on the back with a chuckle. “That’s about the most of it.”

“Oh. Okay… just wanted to make sure.”


At Lowsdale Holden Junior School, the day was coming to a close. The bell rang and the kids filed out to find their parents and legal guardians.

A shockwave blew the heavy iron gates into the playground and totally shredded the fence. No-one walked through the wreckage, his feet leaving pools of black ichor across the concrete. The black water coalesced into a horde of grunts.

The children fled back to the school building, the teachers urging them on.

“If anyone wishes to be a hero, be my guest, but as of this moment this establishment is belongs to me.” No-one stopped by the front steps and turned to face the road. His voice seemed to carry on the wind for miles. “On the hour, every hour, a child will cease to exist unless…”


By chance, Brad had been leafing through his phone when he stumbled upon a breaking local news report.

“Guys… we have trouble,” he said. “The Black Water has taken the junior school hostage. He’s asking for us.”

In that moment the rangers forgot their injuries and headed out. There was no time to waste.


When they arrived at the junior school the place was deserted, aside from No-one and his offshoot grunts standing sentry dead centre of the playground.

The rangers stepped over the iron work rubble of the gate and railings, and stood in a line just metres from No-one.

Two lines of combatants. An old fashioned standoff.

No-one opened his eyes.

“Good of you to join us… shame the hour isn’t up, but no matter.” He slammed his bloated, oversized arm on the ground. He studied Brad and Maria. “More rangers. Joy…”

“Go!”

The grunts, dripping with blackness, leapt forward on No-one’s command.

The rangers dodged and weaved, back and forth, avoiding the infectious touch of the Black Water. They regrouped back at the ruined railings and summoned their morphers.

“Cross Form!”

They swung her arms in wide, opposing arcs of glowing magi power and recrossed them in a plus across their chests. Their armour materialised around them; first the suit and then the helmet showing their combined magi symbols.

“Red Cross.”
“Blue Cross.”
“White Cross.”
“Green Cross.”
“Yellow Cross.”

“Magi Tribe…” They called in unison. “Cross Ranger!”

No-one commanded the idling grunts forward once more, then turned to the school’s front entrance.

Red Cross slammed his fist down like a hammer on the head of a grunt, and spotted No-one heading inside. “Maria, come with me. We have to stop No-one from getting to the kids.”

Yellow Cross dispatched her own opponent and faltered. “What about this lot? We can’t ignore them,” she argued.

“Damn it,” shouted White Cross. “There’s no time for this!”

She tapped Red Cross on the shoulder. The pair pushed through the grunts and into the school building despite Yellow’s insistence.


The red and white rangers rounded a corner and found the teachers and students holed up in the sports hall. They noticed they’d gotten there before No-one. It seemed their luck had won out.

One of the teachers, a portly older woman, called out to them. “Rangers, help us.”

The pair scanned the cavernous hall for escape routes. Apart from the one they’d just used, there was one other heavy door; a dual fire escape and through-way to the sports field beyond.


Outside, Yellow Cross quietly seethed to herself. She was used to accepting orders, but not from enthusiastic amateurs.

Annoyingly, he wasn’t wrong about the need to stop No-one from reaching the children, but to split the group two-to-three could give the Black Water the upper hand.

Yellow Cross mentally kicked herself for arguing in the field. She should have known better, but they needed to sort out who made the better leader. Red Cross’ heart was in the right place, he was closer to the team; but she had the training, the experience, the military knowledge…

I may be the new comer… but I’ve been fighting this battle longer than any of them.


White Cross had just knocked open the rear door and gestured for the students and teachers to escape on to the sports field, when No-one arrived at the other end of the hall. She hurried them outside then joined Red Cross.

No-one eschewed talk and swung his large arm. Red Cross got caught in the side, but braced himself to stop from stumbling. He twisted inside the villain’s reach and punched him in the gut.

No-one grabbed him round the shoulders and threw him aside. He pushed on towards the rear door.

White Cross blocked his way once more, with arms outstretched. “You’re going nowhere.”

“Nowhere indeed,” No-one echoed.

“Flame Advent!” Red Cross roared. Flames splashed across No-one’s broad shoulders. The white ranger summoned a wall of air to protect herself.

Some of the villain’s bandages fell away, revealing a large gash across his stomach, bleeding black. The fire spread to his blindfold. It smouldered, singed and weakened.

White Cross recoiled.

No-one’s face was a mess with a gaping void where his eyes should have been. A third mass of Black Water formed a third eye of sorts on his forehead, barely hiding the jagged bone of his shattered brow ridge.

She was extremely glad the children weren’t there to see it. You couldn’t ignore it. Despite the damage to his mutilated body, he really did look like General Bryant, no doubt about it.

She shook the image from her mind, and thrust her hands forward. “Tornado Advent.” The protective air shield whipped up into a whirlwind and threw No-one into the air.

He landed well past Red Cross with a thud and a crunch of laminated floor board.

The yellow, green and blue rangers arrived and they all surrounded the downed No-one.

“What did you hope to achieve here?” said Red Cross. “Whatever. You’ve failed.”

“You’re troubles have only just started, rangers. You will cease to be, as will your entire race.” He picked himself up. “Mark my words.”

No-one melted into a ball of Black Water and oozed through the floor, making good his escape.

The five rangers shrugged it off and rushed out the back door.

Saving a small group of kids at any cost was more important than defeating the bad guys and saving the town, Yellow Cross saw that now. It still wasn’t the way she would have done it, and she certainly wouldn’t have let No-one get away if she had a choice, but it was what it was.

“At least nothing happened to the children,” said Green Cross.

Red Cross agreed. “That’s a victory in my book.”

Remembering the stares and jeers they got back when Black Water attack the university, they turned to leave, not wanting the limelight. However, a teacher, the portly woman who had called out to them earlier, blocked their passage.

“I don’t care whether the media says you’re a menace, you’ve proven yourself heroes today.” She shook their hands in turn. “I owe you all a debt of gratitude for saving my students.”

White Cross looked at her team mates, then back to the teacher. “Just doing our job, ma’am.”

And with that, they left.

A crowd of parents and guardians, passers-by and curious onlookers had gathered outside the school grounds. Cheers followed the Cross Rangers for miles down the street.


Robert punched the air. “Doesn’t it feel good, guys?”

“Our enemy escaped when we had him on the ropes. We could have finished him.”

“Do you always have to bring me down Allison?” He shrugged and flopped down on the couch with a frown. “No, you know what? I’m going to celebrate anyway. Let’s go out for a drink.”

He sprung to his feet. “Come on.”

Brad was the first to agree. He managed get to Ken on board with little fuss, and Allison shortly followed. The four of them looked to ‘Lieutenant Moses’ and ‘Captain Austin’ expectantly.

Catherine declined, pointing at her laptop. “I’ve got some things to work on, here.”

“I’m going to stay too,” said Maria.

Robert shook his head. In all honesty, he expected nothing less from those two.

Why so serious all the time? Then again, he was flying far too high on that afternoon’s victory to care.


Once she was sure they weren’t going to return, Maria turned to Catherine and came straight out with it.

“I don’t like Robert leading.”

Catherine closed her laptop and sighed. “I was wondering when you’d come to me with that…”

“I lead people for a living. He’s a well-meaning amateur.”

“I get what you’re saying but-”

“Do you? Their tactics are sloppy. We’ve got to make the tough decisions if we wanna come out on top!”

“You need to understand something, Maria,” said Catherine, walking away from the breakfast bar. She crossed to the window and looked out on Fort Lowsdale. “Robert, Allison and Ken have been in this together since the first meteor fragment hit, since that very first attack.”

She turned back to Maria. “They’re best friends who’ve been through the hell of refugee camps, death and infection to be here today. They aren’t going to forget all that trust they’ve built in each other and fall in line under you.” She shook her head. “If you want to lead, earn their trust, be their friend, take a back seat and see where it gets you.”

“I can’t believe you’re siding with Robert.”

“I’m siding with neither of you! There’s no time to mess around with petty arguments,” said Catherine.“You need to be one cohesive unit to defeat Black Water. No leaders, no followers. Just one team, one entity and one mission.”

Maria had heard that before. She shook her head and picked up her things. “Call me when you’re ready for the raid. I’ll be there.”

She slammed the apartment’s door on the way out.

Incursion Thirteen: Undercovered.

The bleached white, bone mask burst through the library’s front door and out onto the concourse. Brad and Ken Chased after, staying hot on it’s tail as it tore across campus. The mask flit here and there; close but just out of arm’s reach, or way above their heads, past windows and over roof tops. Yet still the mask stayed in sight. If ever there was a monster that liked to taunt them, this mask was it.

It flew straight out of the gates, hanging in the air for a moment, flashing it’s toothy grin, before taking off down the road at speeds such that the rangers couldn’t keep up.

The others joined them from the opposite direction, panting and out of breath.

“We lost ours too,” said Robert, clutching at his chest.

“Where the hell did they come from?” gasped Brad.

“You get one chance only to answer that.” Ken shook his head and smiled momentarily. “It’s bloody obvious.”

“Well, sure,” Brad replied, “But why would the Black Water possess a couple of ancient masks. Just to lead us on a chase?”

Maria sighed. “Why do they do anything they do…? Maybe there isn’t a point this time.” She’d not been keen to join the rangers in this fight, but her morals gave her no choice.

“Besides antagonism and terrorism, you mean?” Allison pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed for Catherine.

“Yeah. That,” Maria said, folding her arms.

Allison told Catherine what she needed to know, and they took off in pursuit before they lost their lead.


The rangers tracked the two masks down to the Fort Lowsdale Natural History museum by pure chance.

Catherine, upon getting the call from Allison, had set out on to generate her own leads on the matter.

The masks were originally in a private collection. According to local shop owners, they’d found their way into the antiques market about two weeks ago. While the others were out canvassing the town for clues, she went to interrogate the private collector at his house in the north.

He opened the door on the first knock. Catherine knew the CCTV cameras couldn’t have been just for show.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Lieutenant Moses, with the Agency.” What he didn’t know about the Agency’s inner politics seemed to work in her favour. This appeased him enough that he let her inside. She continued: “I’ve come to inquire about a pair of artifacts I believe are owned by you.”

“The masks?” He gasped. A fever seemed to pass over him like the cold sweat on an addict’s brow. “You’ve found my masks?”

He must have really liked his collection.

“I’m sorry,” she said with a shake of her head. “That’s what I’ve come about.”

“Oh, I see…”

“When did you last see them?”

“Ah well, that’s easy.” He pulled a cloth rag from his pocket and turned to polish the sculpture sitting not far behind him. “I struck a deal with the history museum… and the university, can’t forget them. I thought, you know what James? It’s such a shame no one can enjoy these these treasures you have. Well, the museum were over the moon to host my exhibit on the ancient peoples, you see. So I packed up my displays ready for the courier to come in the morning, and we loaded them into his van and… that’s last I saw of them. You’ll find them, won’t you?”

“Of course we will, sir,” she replied. “It’s our job to protect the people of our great nation after all.”

He frowned. “Protect? They’re just masks…”

“Yes, uh, you see, we think you might be a target of a cat burglar. We’re not all about the Black Water,” she lied.

The Black Water must have intercepted the courier in transit, that much was clear to her. Catherine made her leave as quickly as she could, not wanting the collector to get too suspicious of her motives. If he got too curious and decided to contact the Agency, the mission would be a bust, General Bryant would swoop in and that, as they say, would be that.


After relaying her findings to the others, she decided it would be best to pick up the trail at the museum after all. Surprisingly, it paid off. They found the masks at their rightfully intended places in the exhibit.

A guard let them past the barriers to inspect the room, though he assured them no one had been in or out since the curator and the labourers were in to set up the displays.

Robert shook his head. “Too easy…” he muttered.

Maria spotted movement in the corner of the room and readied her morpher. They followed suit.

“What was that?” whispered Brad.

“Me.” The curator stepped out of the shadows between the two mannequin heads, upon which sat the masks. He lifted them up by the straps. “I assume you’re looking for these? Well, they’re in good… hands.”

His skin turned black. His suit fell away as his body elongated. The masks merged with his hands, and grew eyes in place of the lack of them on his totally featureless face.

“I guess they did get to the museum after all,” said Robert, shaking his head.

The rangers formed a line and crossed their arms at their waists.

“Cross Form!”

In a multicoloured burst of magi power, their armour materialised.

The mask monster jumped at them, spitting globs of black water from the toothy mouths of the bone white masks.

The rangers rolled under the shots, blocking them from hitting the displays. If the Black Water could fuse the curator with an inanimate object that who’s to say it could do the same again with something else, or in fact bypass the need for a living element altogether.

“Resonance advent!” Yellow Cross launched a pulse of supersonic sound at the monster. It sailed over the curators left shoulder and blew a chunk out of the wall. “Heh, whoops…”

Red Cross clapped her on the back as he passed. “Hey, at least you didn’t get the masks.”

With his fists clad in iron advent metal he laid into the mask monster, punching holes straight through his semi-liquid body. When that seemed to get him no where he switched out the metal of his Iron Advent for a far simpler, “Flame Advent!”

The masks flew from the monster’s hands before the flames spread to them.

Blue Cross tagged him out, and doused the monster in a Flood Advent before it could recover and reunite with its ‘hands’. The ichor peeled away from the curator’s unconscious body and leaped toward the masks circling overhead.

Catherine dashed forward to get the man to safety.

Without the curator as a guide, the monster reformed as a shapeless mass, the masks floating somewhere within. Occasionally one or both would surface to sneer at them before dipping back beneath the surface.

The blue ranger lashed out in anger. “Storm advent!”

He scored a direct hit with his lightning. Paralysed, the monster dropped limp to the floor.

When the black water evaporated, and left behind the masks undamaged, White Cross sighed “You got lucky, Ken…”

“Had to do something.”


The next morning, Robert got a call from the restaurant. Almost as soon as he picked it up, his face fell and he slipped off into the hall.

The Powel siblings looked over from the couch.

“What’s all that about?” said Ken.

“How should I know...” Allison shrugged. She stood and went to the kitchen to wash her cereal bowl.

Robert returned before the minute was up with, of all things, a smile on his face.

Ken bit first. “So?”

“So, I quit my job.”

Allison appeared nearby with her hands on her hips. “Since when is that a good thing, Rob?”

“I means I don’t have to bother with it anymore.”

“You’re forgetting we’re undercover.” As if she couldn’t decide where was best for them, she crossed her arms over her chest then placed them back on her hips.

“I’m totally not…”

“If I know you like I think I do…” She sighed. “You just... Okay, you can’t be seen as a full time cross ranger. Guys our age have jobs and pay bills.”

“And guys our age are sometimes fired and on the job market,” he countered.

Ken had sidled over to the kitchen and dutifully buried himself in the wash-up his sister had left.

“You don’t get it!”

“How do you know I don’t get it?”

“You’re so blase about everything,” she said with a stamp of her foot.

“You know me by now Allison. You know this doesn’t mean I’m ignoring what matters most.” He placed the phone back in its cradle. “I’m a cross ranger first. My job is to protect people and save the world.”

“You are going to search for a new job.” It wasn’t a question. “We can’t afford to be found out yet.”

Robert shrugged. “Of course I’m going to get a job. Nothing to it… I didn’t like the restaurant anyway. I can cook, sure, but its so not for me.”

She grunted in frustration and grabbed her coat from its peg by the door. “I’m going out for a bit.”

“Oh, okay,” he replied with little interest.

Allison rolled her eyes, and left, slamming the door behind her making Ken jump.

He looked up to see if the coast was clear. “Is she gone?”

“Yeah,” said Robert with chuckle. “You can come out of hiding now.”

“I wish she wouldn’t get so serious about these things.”

“It’s in her nature.”

Ken grinned and shook his head. “Don’t worry, she doesn’t hate you.”

“Could have fooled me.”

Robert liked that she called him out on things. He liked a lot about her in fact, and her near constant anger at his apparently childish antics (according to her at least) didn’t detract from that. Her heart was in the right place even when she was being a bit of a bitch.

A voice of reason and an idealist, that was Allison. Brad, the average young man. Ken, the stoic thinker. Catherine, the heart and the strategist. Maria, the warrior. Everyone else had their logic and strategy, while Robert felt he was more suited to action. And really, that’s what made the team work so well.

Even when they found themselves at each other’s throats...

He shook his head and joined Ken on the couch. “How long do you think it’ll take for the landlady to come find me?”

“Why would Bryant keep her employed now?”

Robert mused on this for a second. Ken had a point. With the Agency casting them out, they had no need of someone posing as their landlord. Unless... “To spy on us, perhaps?”

“Maybe we should go check on that...” Ken said.


They rushed down the stairs to apartment one on the ground floor, and hesitated, before knocking.

“What do you want?” came a voice from inside.

Ken looked at Robert. He took the lead and spoke first. “We just want to talk.”

The lock clunked over and a bedraggled face peered at them from the crack made when the door hit the limit on it’s security chain. The landlady’s eyes were bloodshot, her cheeks red, dark circles under her eyes.

“We’ll make it quick,” said Robert. “Look, we know you’re with the Agency and all and you must have heard that-”

“Was with them,” she slurred. She must have been drinking.

Ken blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I doubt I need to tell you rangers but the general is cutting people loose. He’s replacing us all ith his sodding, so-called elite.” She unhooked the chain and opened the door further. “Don’t worry, I won’t chuck you out of the building. In fact, I want to get back at that arsehole, for ruining my career, as much as you lot do. So, practical upshot, I still don’t like you, but the enemy of my enemy and all that crap. Yeah?”

Robert smiled, chuckling at an amusing image in his mind. “And here I thought you were going to shout at me for quitting my job.”

“You quit? After what I did for you?” Rage built in her eyes.

He held up his hand in surrender. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Truce, truce. I’m gonna to use the spare time to beat Bryant.”

She shook her head, “I have a business to run now. All I care about is you three paying your rent. Do that and you can do whatever you damn well fancy. Goodnight.”

She slammed the door in their faces. The chain lock jangled back into place, and the deadbolt clunked back over.

The two shared a look.

“So, Bryant is laying people off. Interesting…” Ken raised an eyebrow.

“You thinking we could use that to our advantage?” said Robert.

“You read my mind.”

Bit longer than usual this time, but that's only because it's an important moment in the story...

Aaaaaand I feel bad for not posting this on Saturday like I was supposed to. Truth is I went away for the weekend and it totally slipped my mind.

So here you go. Two whole days of newie newness. Starting with a double length Magi Short.


A six-year-old Catherine rubbed the tiredness from her eyes as she shuffled downstairs. She couldn’t sleep.

A light was on in the study. “Daddy?”

Her father was always working on something. He’d spend months away from home, and, when he finally did get back, he never seemed to have any time for her. He’d told her stories about it, fun stories involving really old wizards and monsters, good guys versus bad guys. She couldn't understand why he was always away working on things like that when her mother insisted wizards and monsters didn't exist.

Catherine grabbed hold of the frame of the study door and blinked in the light of a single bright lamp. Her dad sat at the tall desk poring over something she couldn't see.

“Dad?” she said once more.

He put down what he was working on and turned to her, smiling. “What is it, darling? Can’t you sleep?”

She sniffed and shook her head.

“Oh, well,” he reached down and lifted her up onto his knee with a grunt of effort. “Phew, you’re getting big, aren’t you.”

“Why aren’t you asleep, daddy?”

“You see, your father has some important things to work on.” He pointed first to a scrap of old paper written in a strange language and then to a stone with pretty carvings on it. “Do you still remember the stories I told you? About the magi?”

Catherine nodded. Her father continued: “This piece of paper is really old and it confirms daddy’s ideas about those stories. Except they’re not really stories any more, they’re real. The magi actually existed.”

“Mummy says magic is just make believe.”

He smiled. “Does she now? Well that’s because your mum hasn't seen what I have. A lot of people around the world think I’m telling lies, but that’s only because they find it hard to believe in things they can’t see.”

“But the tooth fairy is real, and nobody sees her...”

“Ah, but the tooth fairy leaves money under the pillows of good children like you, doesn’t she. That’s how we know she exists. In a similar way, the Magi have left daddy things too.” He picked up the carved stone and let Catherine hold it. “Be careful Katy, okay? That’s the only one of those in the world.”

“W-what is it?” The stone was quite heavy, but Catherine was determined to keep hold of it. She didn’t want to disappoint her dad.

“I told you once that the Magi got their special powers from a load of magical stones that the wisest of their leaders made for them. What you’re holding is one of those stones. We call them runes.”

“If you and your friends have found the …” she frowned and turned the word over in her young mind, “rune then why don’t people believe you?”

“I don’t know, sweetie. That’s one of the reasons why daddy has to go away for a little while longer.”

“But… but you just got back…” she said with a whimper.

“I know. I wish I could stay home with you, Katy, but it’s important for me to make those people believe. If I can prove that the Magi existed, then maybe I can find their descendents.”

Catherine didn’t know what a descendent was but whatever it was she wanted them to stay hidden so her father could be around more. Why would he want the wizards to exist? Surely there would need to be bad guys for that to happen, right? That’s the way it was in cartoons.


Catherine and Maria met at the apartment while the rangers were out dealing with a small infection of Black Water just outside of town.

They’d gone over the plan to infiltrate Agency HQ a dozen times at least, and both agreed they needed more than just five Cross Rangers to pull this off. Catherine had never let up on her search for other new Magi. Only, she seemed to have hit a slump as of late. Perhaps then it was time to do things the old fashioned way. Time to put together a task force and tackle the problem like the trained military officers they were. Time to get some outside help.

They stepped out of the apartment, went downstairs to flat one and knocked on the door.

Only once Robert and Ken had confirmed the landlady was no longer working for the Agency did the plan really come together.

She came to the door and stared them down. “Hello?”

“We need to talk,” said Catherine. It pained her to ask for help from someone who’d once agreed to flat out spy on the rangers in hope of furthering her career, but she knew it had to be done.

“I assume this is about a certain acquaintance we share.”

Maria nodded, and folded her arms. “You’d be correct.”

“You better come in then,” the landlady said.


Catherine, now seventeen, sighed, stared once at the landline then sunk back into the sofa.

Whatever happens, I’m not going to call him. I’m not. I don’t need his help.

Why was it that whenever you actually needed their meddling, for once, your parents were no where to be seen? She expected as much from her father and his obsession, but her mother? She could have gone to her friends but they’d only laugh at her for thinking such uncool thoughts. It totally wasn’t normal for seventeen year old girls to be interested in joining the military, she knew that as well as the next person, but what if that was what she wanted?

Catherine looked back at the phone, and yelled in frustration. Off went the television. She rolled trudged around the end of the sofa, picked up the phone and dialled her dad’s new number.

It rang almost seven times before he picked up.

“Hello?”

“Dad. It’s me.”

“Oh hi darling. Look I’m pretty busy right now, is this urgent?”

“I didn’t know who else to talk to…”

She heard him sigh. A great whump of papers flopping against a worktop told her she had his undivided attention.. “What is it, Katy?”

“Remember when we were talking about what I wanted to do after high school.”

“Yeah.”

“Well I think I’ve decided.” She paused. It seemed impossible to gather enough courage to just come out and say it. “And…”

“Whatever it is, you have my support. I know I’m not around much and I know you don’t exactly approve of my reasons why-”

She scoffed. “Got that right.”

“That’s enough, Catherine. Just listen for a moment.”

“No one ever has anytime for me, though. Sometimes I want to be the one who everyone has to listen to!”

“Think about what you’re doing here, Katy. Why call me while I’m working, ask for my advice, then complain when I give it to you?”

“I don’t know, alright! Perhaps if you were around like a real dad, and not off chasing some weird old cult then-”

“The Magi are not a cult. There are others in the world looking for them like I am.”

“Sounds like a cult to me,” she mumbled.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

“Okay, Catherine, maybe one day you’ll understand why I’m doing this, maybe one day someone in our family will turn out to be a magi as the science suggests is possible, but until then I need you to trust me. Understood?”

“No.”

“Don’t be so childish.” He snapped. “Now… What did you want to talk to me about?”

“I... think I want to join the army...”

For a while, silence reigned. Eventually her father spoke in measured tones. “How did you come to that conclusion?”

“I know, I know. It’s a weird thing for a girl like me to be considering, isn’t it.”

“Not at all. Plenty of women sign-up now days. It’s a profession like any other.”

“What do you think I should do, daddy?”

“I think that, now you’re seventeen, you’re big enough to make your own decisions. You know your mum and I will try and get you to see how dangerous such a job can be, but that’s only because we love you and want you to be safe. At the end of the day, it’s your life to live. I’d love it if you were as interested in my work as I am, but I know that’s not going to happen. All I can do is give you advice, provide you with the knowledge to make educated decisions. You have to be the one go for it.”

“You know… That’s about the most honest reply I’ve gotten yet. Thanks, dad.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“No, really, I mean it. I know I give you a hard time about your fairy tal- uh, research, but you’re still my daddy.”

“I love you too, Katy.”


Maria rushed back into the apartment and slapped a post-it note down in front of Catherine. “Looks like she came through for us after all.”

Catherine scanned the note, then turned to Maria. “And her contact will definitely fly us up there?”

“I trust her,” Maria said.

“Good, well…” She bit her lip and went back to reading over the plan. “I sure hope this works.”

“Eh, whether it does or not the main thing is we stood up to Bryant’s oppression, right?”

“Yeah I suppose. I just can’t shake the thought that we’d both still be under his thumb if it wasn’t for Robert and the others.”

The irony that it took Magi, people, as a teenager, she thought could never exist, wasn’t lost on her. Her dad, for all his quirks, had been right all along. She had come to understand why he spent all that time away from his family all those years ago. It was for the very same reason that her and Maria had ruined their careers and dropped their lives to fight for freedom with the Cross Rangers.

There came a time in one’s life when all roads point to one conclusion, to one future, and if you didn’t seize such opportunities by the neck, then you’d forever be doubting yourself.

Either they could sit back and let General Bryant run the country into the ground, or they could take back what’s theirs, and look to the future on their own terms.

Catherine smiled to herself. You’d laugh if you were alive, dad. I’m fighting a real cultist this time.

General Bryant slammed the door of his office. The base was getting too loud. Too much interior activity not enough exterior. Not enough defeating the damn Black Water.

The Cross Rangers… the spanner in the works, the one reason he couldn’t focus solely on enforcing his quarantine.

He coughed into a handkerchief and hacked up a wad of black ichor. The Cross Rangers insisted on petty squabbles and distractions, and wasting time he didn’t have.

If the wall were to fall now no one would be prepared, but woe betide anyone who mentioned the wall to him.

Bryant cleaned himself up and checked his new eye patch was in place. He took up his cane and pushed on towards the hanger. The troops would be waiting for him to give his verdict on the captured deserters.

If he could have had his way, he’d execute them. How dare they forsake the cause and side with the betrayer, Captain Austin.

Oh but he couldn’t have his way, could he. A decorated military general wasn’t allowed to kill people. Not anymore. His job, despite being trained in the art of death, along with countless others before and after him, was to keep peace, not disrupt it.

General Bryant was too visible, but Black Cross was not...


The general arrived to reverent silence, just as he liked it.

His elite guard—black body-suit wearing soldiers with their polished full visor helmets looking like something straight out of science fiction—stood in a one-deep line marking the boundary between the general and the riff-raff of the lower ranks.

“We are at a crossroads, my friends.

“Since the first fragments hit ground south of here, since the first mutant attacks on civilisation, we’ve been reacting. Refugees turn up on our doorstep. We build them temporary accommodation. One too many mutants break into the city. We build the quarantine wall. No more. From now on we’re done reacting. We will take more proactive, preventative steps in ending this conflict. This plague will not get the best of us.

“But, ah, we have a problem. Don’t we?”

A cheer went up in the assembled mass. “Yeah!”

“The Cross Rangers. They purport to be heroes. They say they have the country’s best interests at heart. But what exactly are they doing? A few days ago they foiled an attack at a school. Commendable, yes, but insignificant. Before that, they attempted to defeat a giant mutant on a path toward the city… of course, we solved that problem for them.

“They. Are. Amateurs. Picking away at the surface. Getting in our way.”

He paced across the makeshift stage of hard-cases and paused to watched the soldiers before him. To him they represented this country’s last bastion of hope.

“Ridiculous amateurs with ridiculous power. If they won’t stop using their abilities, then we will take it from them. I believe they’ll come for us. Their leader Lieutenant Catherine Moses, now she’s joined forces with Captain Maria Austin, has a vendetta against us. She believes we’ve kept her out of the loop, she believes we are keeping secret an arsenal she can use to effectively defeat Black Water.

“They must not get in the way of real progress.”

Before General Bryant could continue, the chug of helicopter blades sounded from beyond the open hangar doors.

The privately registered helicopter, hovering just on the edge of the runway, twisted on its axis revealing its profile to those in hanger. Standing there in the open cabin doors were the morphed Cross Rangers and a combat ready Lt. Moses.

The elite guard, the only permanently armed personnel on site, fanned out around the lower ranks. As they levelled their semi-automatics at the rangers, the general jumped forward to join them.

He armed his morpher and pushed through the front lines.

“See?” he called back to his troops. “I said they’d come for us, didn’t I. But are we ready for them?”

A roar washed through the crowd.

Bryant grinned, and turned back to the rangers. He raised his voice to be heard over the rotor blades. “What do you hope to accomplish, Moses? You’ve hardly picked a quiet spot to infiltrate the base, have you.”

They leapt from the cabin doors and the helicopter peeled away in to the distance.

Lt. Moses stood in front of the Cross Rangers. “I never wanted to infiltrate quietly, sir. Consider this a demonstration.”

“A demonstration of your foolishness?”

“No, a demonstration of yours.” She slipped a com unit onto her ear and settled the microphone into place, and called, “Now!”

Almost half of the lower ranks turned on their fellow soldiers, pulling hand guns from their beneath their uniforms. More troops poured into the hanger; Maria’s squads freed by yet more dissenters within the general’s own ranks. The landlady had done more than get them a ride.

“Cross Form!” Bryant growled, morphing into his black and white magi armour. “Guards. Seize the traitors.”

The elite guard swung about face the troops, training their semi-automatics on those they’d once called colleagues. They may have been better equipped, with more experience and better training, but the lower ranks had numbers on their side.

A standoff.

“The thing is General, we’ve all seen what you’ve become the past month or so.” Lt Moses wagged her finger as she spoke. “Yet you refuse to admit to it.”

“Why do you insist on destroying the effectiveness of the Agency you championed?” Yellow Cross stepped forward. “Betraying me or the soldiers beneath you is … nothing in the long run, but you’ve betrayed the people. How can you possibly enforce the quarantine if you’re running on a skeleton crew?”

Black Cross sighed. “If you came here to fight. Let’s just do it.”

It was hard to say who fired the first shot, but the elite opened fire not long after, cutting through men and woman loyal and rebel alike and the rangers leaped to their rescue.


The fire fight, along with the Rangers and Black Cross, soon spilled out into the hallways and the rest of the base.

While the others dealt with Black Cross himself, Yellow Cross, now reunited with her squad mates, accompanied Catherine in fighting through great swaths of Black Cross’ men.

They came upon the labs only to find them empty.

“Damn it.” Catherine slammed her fist against the door. “He’s cleared it out.”

They both knew what they had to do next, but neither wanted to be the one to order the soldiers under them into sure danger.

Yellow Cross said it first, never one to mince words. “We’ll have to hit the armory.”


Somewhere along the line the rangers lost sight of Black Cross. They holed up, along with about ten or twelve regular soldiers who’d joined them from the other side, in a smaller secondary hanger.

Red Cross activated his suits com line. “Maria, report.”

A grumble came through first, followed by “The labs are empty. We’re going to hit the armory.”

“We should regroup and hit it together. How far are you from my position?”

“Too far no doubt.”

“Have you even checked?”

“I’ve got some good soldiers here, Robert. And it’s like you and Catherine are always telling me. In the field is no time to be arguing. My squad can hit the armoury in minutes flat. We’ll clear it out, rearm and contact you then.”

“What if-“

She cut him off. “Yellow Cross out.”

He turned to White Cross. “Maria and Catherine are going after the armoury without us.”

“Bryant’s figured that out and is headed there already, I just know it!”

“I tried, Allison, I tried.”

Their next move passed unspoken between them, but before they could file out into the corridor, a single black-suited Elite soldier strode into the hanger, his boots thumping against the concrete floor.

There he stood, silent, unmoving.

“Well?” said Red Cross addressing the soldier. “Got anything witty to say?”

The Elite unlocked the clasps on his helmet and lifted his visor.

“There’s no one in that thing…” Blue Cross gasped.

Beneath the Elite Guard soldier’s helmet was an empty space, pure pitch black.

White Cross readied herself for a fight. “What the hell’s Bryant doing up here?”

“Nothing good, I’d say” said Green Cross.

The Elite guard strode forward. The soldiers ranked up in front of the rangers trained their handguns on the headless enemy, and opened fire.

The bullets that struck home bit into the guard’s chest armour, knocking him back a step. He faltered only momentarily, before advancing once again.

“Uh…” Blue Cross mind called back to the ranger’s last fight in the halls and hangers of Agency HQ. “Anyone remember those animated corpses we fought that first day?”

Green Cross paused and made a sound not unlike dry-heaving disgust. “Animated co- you’re not saying that’s a zombie, are you?”

The soldier’s let off another round in an attempt to pin the Elite guard down a while longer.

“The last time we fought here, the uh, Black Water got in via some dead Agency troops... so …” Red Cross cringed beneath his helmet, and sucked air in through his teeth. “Let’s just go with zombies, shall we.”

The guard crouched suddenly and sprung forward, bowling the soldiers over like pins. Shots fired wildly as they tried to get the situation under control.

White Cross ducked and weaved through the melee and grabbed the ‘zombie’ by the neck. She twisted in an effort to pull him off his feet. The guard leaned the other direction and flipped White Cross onto her back.

Red Cross and Blue Cross seized the guard by the arms. Green Cross gathered water around his fist and punched him in the gut. The Elite guard took the hit without flinching, spun and tossed the red and blue rangers into Green Cross like they were nothing.

The three rangers tumbled across the room.

“I hate this guy already,” said Red Cross, picking himself up.

The four rangers regrouped. Their soldier comrades had since exhausted their ammunition reserves and took cover behind the hanger’s heavy machinery store.

The Elite guard stopped suddenly and in one swift motion, reached up to his helmet and yanked it off. He discarded it like it was a burden. Black Water oozed from the stump of his neck. It coated his armour and hardened like a second skin.

Green Cross shook his head. “That’s just wrong.”

“It’s all wrong,” countered White Cross. Images of the refugee camps and the mutants paraded through her mind. “That’s why we have to win.”

There was another question White Cross wanted answering though. If one of the elite guard was a Black Water construct, were they all? And what was General Byrant doing with enemy soldiers under his control.

“All-advent, on my mark,” said Red Cross.

The Elite continued to ooze pitch. More and more layers fell on the previous until a true monster stood before them, a huge immovable hulk of a creature, all torso, shoulders and arms and not a lot else.

“Now! Before it gets moving!”

“Flame Advent.” Red Cross threw out his hands and flame danced forward setting the Elite alight.

“Torrent Advent.” Blue Cross summon a wave of water to knock the beast off its feet.

“Landslide Advent.” Slamming his hands into the ground, Green Cross shook the piles of crates. All it took was one case to fall and the rest followed like an avalanche.

Seeing this, White Cross called on the wind. “Tornado Advent.” Powerful gusts picked up the falling equipment.

The Elite, pummelled from all sides by hundreds of flying objects ranging from small cases to entire pallets, found he had no way of escaping.

“Again!” Red Cross ordered.

The rangers pushed yet more energy in their attacks, this time training everything they had on the Elite.


Black Cross caught up with Lt. Moses’ squad at the armoury door and blocked their path. “You’re plan was truly transparent.”

Yellow Cross put herself between him and the others. She felt within herself for a thread of her ancestral power and held on to it, not yet ready to let it fly. The tell-tale humming filled her mind.

“And yet I got this far without an army on my side,” Catherine countered. “Doesn’t that prove how much you’ve hobbled this Agency? We were strong once. We could deal with any incursion thrown our way. Now look!”

“It pains me to say, Lt. Moses, that it is you who are draining resources.” Black Cross stood his ground. “We don’t have the time, or money, to focus entire dev. teams on building stupid little toys for your team.”

“Toys that could turn the tide against the enemy,” Yellow Cross scoffed.

“And you,” Black Cross turned to the yellow ranger. “You’re far too eager to jump ship. I knew you’d be trouble from the moment you flew the first two in.”

“You trained me well, sir,” she replied, sneering that last word. “I’m just following my instincts, taking things as they come, trying to wheedle out the winning strategy.”

“Winning strat- listen to yourself!”

“I’m sorry, general. There’s a far better way to beat the Black Water… and it’s not with the Agency.”

Black Cross shook his head. “Then you and I will have to agree to disagree”

He drew his shadow gun in a flash and unleashed a volley that blasted a ring around the Lt. Moses’ squad. The attack kicked dust and metal flakes into the air, shrouding all parties from sight.

From the yellow ranger’s left came a strike to her abdomen. She crumpled but kept her head held high, waiting for any break in the veil, any momentary glimpse of the Black ranger that would allow her to hit back.

One of the soldiers cried out, then another. A hand gun fired twice, one ricocheting off the ceiling, and the second hitting Yellow Cross in the shoulder in a shower of sparks.

"Can’t you see?” Black Cross chuckled. "Don’t you understand? I want you to remember just how long I've been playing this game compared to you. Remember, I trained all of you."

Yellow Cross gritted her teeth. She knew if she looked at her shoulder her armour would be torn, blood oozing from the gash. Looks like we have no protection against Bryant’s shadow bolts…

She heard a whisper in her ear. “Keep him busy. He’s just getting lucky, trying to scare us.”

She nodded and spoke once more. “What are you trying to prove, General? That you’re better than us? That we should fall in line because your ego says so?”

“I see we’re going to have to go over this again.” Black Cross appeared in front of her all of a sudden and tackled her out of the magically-suspended shroud and into the open corridor beyond. He unclipped his helmet and threw it aside. “Come on then, come at me.”

Yellow Cross grasped at the thread of power she’d dropped when the bullet bit into her skin. The low, powerful hum returned. “I’m sorry, sir. If someone has to put you down, I’d rather it be me… Resonance Advent!”

A sonic wave launched from her in all directions, pummelling into Black Cross and knocking him to his knees, blowing away the shroud in the process.

Lt. Moses stood by the armoury door, troops flanking her of both sides. Between them they carried two large, metal hard-cases.

Yellow Cross laughed. She relaxed, the adrenalin flooding her system dispersed and the wound started to burn. “It’s over.”

“How?” Black Cross stood, unsteady on his feet. “How is new gear going to help you out of a base packed full with soldiers loyal to me?”

The yellow ranger shook her head. “Sir... This is the point where you’re supposed look behind you.”

The rangers, fresh from their battle with the Black Water construct, stepped past the hobbled Black Cross and joined Lt. Moses.

“To be completely honest, General,” the lieutenant said. “We’re not here to hurt you. We came for what’s ours and that’s it.

“Our job is out there, protecting people who can’t protect themselves from creatures of the dark, from evil, from crazy mutant-alien diseases... That’s something I think, no, I know you live by.” She sighed. “The thing that’s pointless, sir, is your little vendetta against us.”

“Little?” he growled. “You standing in the way of-” He close his eyes and took a deep breath, calming himself. “No, we’re done here. Go. Leave before I have you killed.”

A dark, rolling cloud of shadow surrounded him and when it dispersed he was gone, along with his discarded helmet.

“That was…” Red Cross started.

“Easy?” finished Lt. Moses. “Yeah, but I kind of figured his mind wasn’t in it.”


Later that day, they sat around the kitchen island. Catherine unlocked and flipped open the two cases.

Inside sat five weapons, each with their own colour scheme,

First, a red and grey shafted spear with a large diamond-edge head. Runes of Magi origin ran along it’s length. Second, a set of swords, white for the most part with golden detailing. Third, a deep ocean blue blaster with jagged purple bolts along it’s length. The fourth were a pair of yellow and red tonfas, and, taking up the entirety of the second case, was the fifth, a large green hammer with with blue binding holding the head to the shaft.

“So this is it, huh...” said Ken, picking up his blaster and weighing it in his hands.

Allison scowled. “What do you mean it? We went through a lot to get these.”

Maria winced when Robert finished tying off her bandages, then rolled her eyes. “I for one sure hope it’s worth it. You know, I don’t fancy getting shot at anymore.”

“They are, trust me,” said Catherine. “My dad once said a magi’s power is limitless, but only when they have a way to focus that power. Got me thinking.”

Robert took hold of his spear. The shaft was short, almost too short. He turned it over in his hand. “You saying we get more powers?”

“Well, I can’t say for certain…” She shrugged. “but to be honest, I hope so. All I can do is follow dad’s theories as close as I can.”

“We’ll know what to do when we need them…” said Allison.

Ken placed the blaster gently back on the breakfast bar. “You sure?”

“I can feel it, when I concentrate on my swords. A voice, it’s quite faint, but it’s telling me what to do.”

Robert’s eye went wide. “Like when we first transformed and we knew just what to do and how to do it!”

Catherine nodded. “Ancestral memory. Not too far fetch considering what we’ve been through.”

Robert closed his eyes and focused. At first he felt nothing, no voices, no sudden knowledge like a fog had lifted from his brain. He tried harder, remembering exactly how he felt just before he first manifested. A feeling of duty, of justice. He grasped at that memory, held it tightly in his mind’s eye and knew what to do.

He focused his power into the spear and shook it sharply downward once. The two ends of the spear shot away from him, the shaft doubling in length at least.

Knowledge of his newest weapon wasn’t all he felt. “I think you’re right, Catherine. We will have more power. It’s there, waiting inside us somewhere.”

Well, I have something a little different for you this week. Call it the mid-season break if you like, but you lovely lot are still getting some fiction to tide you over until the next "act" of Cross Ranger begins.

I was racking my brain trying to think of something awesome to do when I realized something. There are parts of the Fighting Spirit Saga that have yet to be touched, and others that need to be expanded on, and the mid-season break is the perfect time do that.

So without a do being in any way furthered, here is Cross Ranger's "Episode Zero"*

Five years ago

The young woman dragged her fiance up the hill by the hand.

“Come on, Walt. We’re going to miss it!”

His foot sunk into a molehill causing him to stumble. He sighed and looked back at the car. “It’s cooold. Why ever would you want to stare at the sky for a few hours? What’s so important about a bunch of lights?”

“It’s the actual Ziegler meteor shower,” she said, throwing his hand back at him. “It happens once every two centuries, and is getting more and more infrequent. It’s important.”

“Its just a load of rocks, Jen. Why don’t we head into the city and catch that new film you said you wanted to see?”

She stopped with her back toward him, and took in a hissing breath through her teeth. “I was trying to do something romantic. For once.”

“Oh. Okay...”

“Damn right, oh!” Jen looked up at the sky and shook her head. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

Walt threw his hands in the air. “Forget it, I’m going back to the car… This stargazing stuff just isn’t my thing, dude.”

She looked at him aghast with eyes wide as he turned and trudged back down the hill. A shooting star sailed overhead, flaring a brilliant white in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. It didn’t matter what Walt wanted to do, she told herself, she wanted to watch the shower.

Jen dashed the rest of the way to the crest of the hill. The longer she watched more and more meteors joined the procession of lights.

Pfft. He wouldn’t recognise something amazing if it hit him in the face. He’s the one missing out here.

Though she was acutely aware of a growing commotion behind her, Jen was so engrossed in the night’s sky she thought nothing of it.

She heard footsteps on the ground behind her and smiled. Here it is. My apology.

A man in a black t-shirt barrelled past her clutching a portable telescope. A second man carrying a tripod followed closely.

“That’s not … what’s happening?!” the first screamed, nearly tumbling down the opposite slope.

Jen frowned. “Wait... what?”

She glanced over her shoulder. An overweight woman wearing thick lens glasses ran up to her, a pleading look in her eyes. Behind her was a trail of her belongings. “You have to run.”

She saw Walt scrambling towards her.

He’d left the car door wide open.

A bright flash turned night into day.

A split second later a thunderous explosion knocked them all off their feet.

The last thing thing she remembered was Walt wrapping his arms around her and yelling, “I’m sorry. I do love-”

She wanted to forgive him, she really did, but time had ran out.

By the time the falling meteorite blew a chunk out of the hillside and tore a long, tapering scar across the land, Jen, Walt, and the three stargazers were no more.


A silver armoured ranger clad in flowing white robes stood at the edge of the crater. Below him smouldered the still white hot fragment of rock along with what remained of the poor unfortunate souls killed in its dramatic fall to Earth.

He shook his head.

“This world is not the one I expected.”

His voice sounded jagged, broken and fuzzy, like a low quality audio recording. It almost seemed to have a polyphony to it.

Though it pained him to look any longer, the ranger forced himself. He glazed over the eviscerated finger, the splinters of telescope, and the molten glass of a car windshield to peer deeper into the crater.

“There.” His helmet HUD zoomed in on the rock, and more specifically the flow of black liquid that oozed from it.

[You could help them now, if you had the balls. Change the future. Do it.] said a female voice over his helmets intercom

“Too soon.” The ranger sighed. “This world will only be ready for me when the Spirit tries to take control.”

He turned to walk back into the forest, back the way he came, but a ghastly wailing broke his stride.

The bodies of the crash victims, red, raw, and fused together into one horrifying mass of flesh, pulled itself up over the lip of the crater and howled in pain.

“I’m - wrong... car!”

The ranger hung his head.

“Sorry, s-sorry, ruuuun...” Each word, phrase and sentence fragment had a different tone to it, as though spoken by multiple separate people.

[Now you want to help?]

“Let me end your suffering.”

The silver-armoured hero shrugged off his robes and crouched low. He leaped into the air, glowing much like a star, and rocketed straight through the mutant mass and out the other side. The monstrous form began to collapse in on itself.

[You and I both know that’s not going to be enough to defeat it, sweetheart.]

“No… you’re right…”

Without hesitation, he reached up and pulled the glowing red jewel off the centre of his chest, with an audible shearing of exotic metal. A rainbow of light poured out from inside his suit.

The voice on the other end of the comm line sighed. [This again? Are you really going to make me wait another decade or two...? I'm not the immortal here, I'm not getting any younger!]

“I have to do this.”

[So you said the last time you killed yourself… and the time before that. What you have to do is to find a way of ending your battles that doesn't involve suicide.]

He stepped up to the screaming mutant, unafraid of what would surely happen next. He drove the jewel directly into the open wound with his clenched fist.

The monster roared one final time. “What. Whaaat! Have to… I love y- y-.”

The ranger shifted his gaze back to the fragment. “The rangers of this era will handle the evil.” He looked up at the mutant, and spoke as though talking to it directly. “Today I sacrifice myself for you, souls ripped too soon from the physical realm. This is not my time.”

The energy in his suit built to overload, burning the two of them from the inside out. “One day, they will truly need my help. Then I shall return, don’t you worry. No one else will have to suffer the fate you have this night.”

He bowed his head in respect for the lives lost, and in that moment, the fire ball blossomed to consume them both.


Thankfully the messenger from his superiors left as quickly as he came. General Bryant grunted in frustration.

He dropped his new orders into the waste paper basket beside his desk and took up his jacket and beret from the coat rack by the door.

It had been two years ago, days after the initial mutant attacks, that he had first suggested the formation of an agency whose sole purpose would be to protect the populace and ensure the infection spread no further than that acursed forest.

Two years on and the Black Water had wiped out no less than ten towns and villages in the south and had long since passed the forest boundaries, all because his superiors thought the combined might of the army and the pandemics squad would be enough.

Had they listened perhaps the world would be 20,000 people stronger, he thought. Of course… of course they knew better.

“...And only now they decide to agree,” he finished out loud. “Too little, too late!”

His subordinates flinched away from him as he passed them in the corridor. They never had grown spines. Then again, they were no long his subordinates at all. They were General Hartford’s.

Effective immediately, he was needed at some top secret mountain base just outside of Steele City. With apparently no time for an official hand over, Bryant hoped Hartford was less of the fool he’d been lead to believe all these years.

As long as I get my pick of personnel I might be able to turn this whole mess around.


Stay tuned in the next few days for more announcements and sneak peaks. I'm not done yet!

*in true anime and manga style, chapter or episode zero always seems to come after the fact... don't ask me why.

Time for the announcement I've been sitting on for quite a while.

Coming in only 10 Incursions' time, weighing in at over 7000 words it's...


What am I missing here?

Before Robert could do anything else, something tackled him from the direction of the oak tree. The shadow-clad figure tucked and rolled, then sprung into a sprint for the house.

Out in the open and in full sunlight, there was certainly no mistaking it.

A ranger.

The ranger’s armour was black and nearly seamless with no additional colours or highlights. His belt was but a simple sash of black cloth and equally black leather pads sat upon his shoulders. The visor of his helmet was thin, utilitarian and tinted blood red.

And sure enough upon his forehead was the darkness clan symbol.


Next week we return to the main story line.

Here's a quick synopsis to keep you going:

Incursion Sixteen: Sun Divers
After their trying battle within the walls of Agency HQ, Robert and the team finally get some down time. Brad thinks they should make the most of it before things inevitably get worse. They decide to spend a day at the beach and miraculously Catherine agrees. Nevertheless, she doesn't join them in the sun straight away. Is there an ulterior motive here?

Robert stood at the very centre of the living room. Above his head he held his newly claimed spear. He didn’t know much about the art of making weapons, but he felt stronger holding it.

He twirled it once, then twice, narrowly missing the lamp on the side table by the couch.

Alison caught the shaft of spear as it swooshed through the air. “You probably shouldn’t be playing with that in doors.”

“Oh lighten up, I’m just having a bit of fun.”

He collapsed the spear down to almost half its length with a flick of his wrist and place it back in one of the metallic hard cases with the rest of the weapons; Alison’s swords, Ken’s blaster, and Brad’s hammer.

The apartment door clicked open and in walked Catherine, a rare beaming smile brightening up her face. Maria followed her in. “Speaking of fun, I’m giving you the day off.”

“Really?” Robert didn’t know what to think.

Over in the kitchen, Ken chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, because evil takes days off. Everyone knows that.”

“Well, whatever happens next, after the last mission I think we deserve it. Don’t you?” said Catherine.

At this Brad perked up. He sat, largely ignored, amongst an ever-growing pile of course work.

“That means we could go to the beach,” he said excitedly.

Everyone turned to face him.

“Eh?”

“Why not? It’s pretty scorching out.” He shrugged. “What? You’ve never really asked me what I do for fun. Don’t look at me like that!”

Robert nodded slowly and smiled. He leaped across the room and dragged Brad to his feet. “Sounds like a plan,” he declared.

Maria shuddered to herself. She’d not gone to the beach since were a pre-teen. Too much personal training. Too many lofty goals. “I might sit this one out if you don’t mind. I’ve got some coordinating to do now since what remains of the old squad is scattered without a base.”

Robert dove over the back of the couch and grabbed her around the shoulders. “Oh no you don’t. You’re coming too. Red’s orders.”

Maria rolled her eyes. “Fine, but you won’t get me in a swimming costume.”


It may have started raining in land, with black skies over Fort Lowsdale not long after the rangers left, but at the coast the sun shone brightly.

Robert stepped from the changing room Catherine had hired for them, and tied off the string on his shorts. He stretched out his weary muscles and bathed in the sun with a huge smile on his face. “This is simply the best, isn’t it?”

Brad stepped out behind him with shorts, t-shirt and a hat on. “Yeah, just great, but I can feel myself burning already.”

“You’re not helping your image much,” said Ken. “Besides, this was your idea. I thought you dug the beach?”

“Oh, shut it. My skin is too fair for this kind of weather...”

Ken chuckled. “Sure.”

They waited together for girls. Ken and Robert stood soaking in the sun, while Brad slunk off to take shade under a nearby tree overhanging the changing rooms.

After a short while, the door creaked open again revealing Allison.

Almost immediately, Ken took Robert’s shoulders and spun him one hundred and eighty degrees to face away from his big sister. He threw his arm around his shoulder. “Say, how ‘bout we go for a swim? Yeah?”

“Huh?” Robert glanced back and caught a glimpse of Allison in a tight black bikini and white sarong. Her fit, lightly muscled body glistening ever so slightly with what must have been a layer of protective sun cream.

“Come on,” Ken said, steering him toward the water once more. “That’s all the free looks you’re getting, mate.”

Brad looked between the guys and Allison. He shrugged, not really seeing the problem, and followed after Robert and Ken.

Allison chuckled and called out into the changing, “You coming, Maria?”

“I suppose…” An embarrassed Maria joined Allison outside with her shoulders hung forward and her hand’s crossed over her chest. “A hardened soldier like me, out here, in this.”

Though she’d managed to insist on wearing a simple black one piece, it wasn’t hard to see all the years she’d spent training etched into the lines and curves of her body. Next to Maria, Allison looked positively unfit.

“You’re talking a load of nonsense you know.” Allison took her newest friend’s hand. “You can be both girly and a soldier. Anyone ever tell you that?”

Maria shot her a hard look.

“Alright.” Allison threw up her hands. “I get it, but the least you could do is enjoy yourself. You deserve a vacation as much as any of us.” Especially after General Bryant’s betrayal, she thought to herself.


Later that day, Robert came back from the bar with drinks in hand for Allison and himself. The guys were off trying to get Maria to open up a little, before the day was up and she snapped back into military-mode.

That left the two of them alone.

He slid a beer across the table at Allison and sat down opposite her. “Thanks to your brother, I haven’t had a chance to say this. You look great.”

Allison cringed at such blatant appreciation of her appearance and raised her drink. “Cheers, I guess?”

“Yeah, cheers.” They clinked bottles.

“I’ve got to admit,” she said. “I’ve been freaking out about this trip all day.”

“This spur of the moment trip?”

“Okay, okay.” She took a sip. “I’m no more okay with showing skin than Maria is and … well, I’m scared of what’s happening back in FL, and Steele City.”

Robert’s face took a stern turn. He pointed the neck of his bottle at her. “Hey! You’re supposed to be forgetting about that. Maria is… finally.”

Sure enough, outside and across the sand, Maria and the others had succumb to joining a game of volleyball with a couple of other beach dwellers. Her smile positively beamed, lighting up her usually stern features and making her seem for a moment like a normal young woman.

“We shouldn’t be here, Rob. Not with a fight on two fronts. No-one’s been pretty silent, but what about Bryant? He’ll be wanting revenge for our raid. Surely.”

“Stop it.”

“I’m being serious-”

“Stop! I’m sure you are being serious, Al. Thing is we’re here to have fun. When else will we get to enjoy the beach like this? Who knows how much longer this fight will go on? Maybe we’ll never get rid of the infection.”

He turned to focus on the volley ball match lest she see the full force of his emotion. “Maybe we’ll be fighting for the rest of our lives and this is the last time we’ll get to kick back, you know? So perhaps it’s time for you to give me this one and just bloody enjoy yourself. Okay?”

Allison fell into a stunned silence. She’d only seen him feel this strongly about two things now. The first being his instance on doing things his way. When Robert got serious, as little as that happened, it paid to listen.

Eventually she nodded. “Okay. You win.”

Something wasn’t right between them from then on however, as they joined their friends spectating on a second match that had broken out.

Robert knew he’d said too much, in much too wrong words, but he meant it. He couldn’t see the future, no one could, so why the ruin the day? Why not take every chance you could to have fun?


While the rangers relaxed in the sun, on the sand, in the water (or in Brad’s case under an umbrella), Catherine drove a short way up the coast on her way to meet with one of her contacts.

She’d wondered for a long time whether this counted as lying to her team mates, but she couldn’t give them false hope. If the lead she was here chasing ended up a dead end, she could drive back and join them on the beach. No questions asked.

Catherine pulled off the road into a small car park among the dunes of a nature reserve, killed the engine and waited.

After about half an hour, a group of men and women in simple brown robes appeared over the crest of the dunes.

This group was who she was there to meet. They’d contacted her two weeks ago, saying nothing more than how they wanted to meet the new magi. Curious to say the least, Catherine took a chance and agreed a time and place. She wasn't expecting much. At the most, a bunch of guys with an obsession with ancient history rivaling her dad’s, perhaps even old friends of his. Nevertheless is paid to keep the rangers away from them until she knew they could be trusted.

She hadn't expect to meet a bunch of monk look-a-likes.

A tall man stepped forward looking to shake her hand. “Good to see you, Lieutenant Moses. I understand how much trust you are putting in us by being here.”

“Damn right. You’re just lucky our enemies have been quiet for a few weeks now...”

“I’m not asking you to believe us, all we’re asking is for the chance to talk to you,” said another more portly monk.

“We owe you an explanation,” the tall one said. “My name is Brother Gray, and I’m the head of this chapter of the Order of the Trinity.”

“Order of the Trinity? Father, son… holy ghost?”

One of the female members of the group grinned. “Wrong trinity.”

Brother Gray nodded and continued: “The Order of the Trinity was created in ancient times as the magi retinue of the tribal emperor. Together, the order, the emperor and his royal followers, they were known as the Trinity Clan and drew their power directly from the three most powerful clans under His rule. That is the trinity we serve.

“Over the intervening millennia, we of the Order have lost our connection to the magi runes, but our duty remains unforgotten. We are the guardians of the emperor and the keeper of the knowledge.”

A growl sprung up from atop one of the dunes, causing them all to pause.

Forming from a mass Black Water was a large, bulky humanoid warrior. As his features consolidated themselves, armour formed around him and finally a hide of spikes reminiscent of a porcupine.

“At last. We’ve found you,” it grunted.

The Order stepped between the mutant and Lieutenant Moses.

“You may have found us, but we can just as easily slip back into the shadows,” said Brother Gray.

“Not if I murder you first.” It sneered and bared its teeth. It’s spikes and spines bristled with anticipation. “Master will be pleased to have the heads of the last ever Trinity chapter.”

The mutant tore one of the largest spikes from its own back with sickening crunch and brandished it like weapon. He dove towards the Order.

Brother Gray dodged each swipe of the spike with the practiced ease of a life-long martial artist. He slammed his palm into the mutant’s exposed neck.

A burst of light shone in the seconds after the blow. Catherine felt a strong power radiating from the Order. It couldn’t have been the same power the magi wielded. Brother Gray said they’d lost that ability long ago. So what is it? If they aren’t magi, then ... how do they have this power?

Not once did the Order strike in rage. Theirs was an art of defense. They only fought, it seemed, to protect her. She moved back toward her car and the Order moved with her, only serving to prove her point.

Brother Gray broke off his attack and joined Catherine. “Lieutenant Moses, you must leave. Now.”

“What? No. I have to help you fight.”

“I've underestimated the gravity of the situation. I'm sorry. If the mutants are now being controlled by a central intelligence then they are further along than we previously thought.”

With a wave of his hands a magical circle appeared on the ground behind her. He pushed her gently into it and waved his hand again. “You must return home with your magi. I fear our enemies may attack when you are at your weakest. Once we are free to do so, we’ll join you. There is much to discuss, far more than we can discuss here, at this time.”

The bright white light within the circle snapped up in a column around her. There was a strange sensation of falling, before she collapsed into the driver’s seat of her car.

Now she saw them from a distance, the Order were wielding a magic of some kind. As she shifted into gear and pulled away from the car park, she wondered if she would ever find out what that power was...

Or for that matter, whether she could trust Brother Gray’s words.


Catherine pulled to a halt perhaps quicker than she should have, and tore off on foot down the beach towards the rangers. It proved tough going as her shoes sunk into the loose, fine sand with every step.

“We've got to go,” she said as soon as she got within shouting distance.

Maria was acutely aware of eyes turning toward her and the others, watching them, wondering why this loud, suited woman was disturbing the peace.

“What’s wrong?” whispered Allison. “We’re causing a bit of scene.”

“I wish I could explain in a way that made sense, but…” She bit her lip. “Look, grab your stuff and meet me in the car. Fort Lowsdale could be in danger.”

“Could be in danger?” asked Brad. His question fell ignored as Catherine had already left, running back up the beach toward the car park. Robert, Allison and Ken were on their way back to the changing rooms. “Guys?”

“Come on, Green,” said Maria, hanging back with him. “First lesson of the military: If your commanding officer says jump, what do you reply?”

“I suppose... How high?”

“You got it.” She chuckled. “If we have to go we have to go.”

“D’you think the Black Water found us out here?”

“Could be. Could be."

Day late but I've been on courses... and it's Mother's day, so that is what is. Enjoy this short, back to Incursion 17 - "Earth Father" on Wednesday.


I think that was the day I realised I’d finally become a person and stopped being just another career officer. It still annoyed me that Robert thought of himself as the de facto leader of the Cross Rangers, especially considering I’d spent years teaching myself the ins-and-outs of command, strategy, advanced combat tactics, and flying aircraft.

For once I can live with it, just so long as everyone realises that, once in a while, I know what I’m talking about.

After all, I didn’t get promoted without reason.

I made captain because I was willing to make the tough decisions to serve my country. Decisions like telling my squad to retreat back behind the quarantine wall sacrificing who knows how many innocent civilians. Their pleas for help still haunt my dreams, but if we hadn’t decided to regroup we would never have joined with 10 platoon and put down that mutant for good...

At least that’s what I tell myself. At the time it seemed like the only option: countless millions in the north saved at the price of a few measly towns in the already overrun south.

I don’t regret making decisions like that. In the real world, sometimes you have no choice.

General Bryant knew that, but seeing just how far overboard he’d gone in the past few months had taught me a valuable lesson. I couldn’t rely on the obvious choices anymore. I think what Robert and the others have been trying to teach me, despite not knowing it themselves, is that often the ends don’t justify the means.



In fact when you think about that’s what the beach trip was all about. I’d lost sight of myself as a human being, I’d lost sight of my personality, my feelings, my emotions and the guys wanted to change that. They wanted me to see what I was missing, what protecting the world actually meant.

Well I’d taken it for granted that I’d die for my country if I had to. Every soldier says they’re willing, but I must have lied to myself. Like hell did I believe dying was worth it.

But we rangers can never retreat. We can never surrender. We can never give up. Even if we have to die to beat the Black Water, I’m sure we’d all do it. Protecting the Earth is important, yet, but not more important than the lives of every individual on the planet. Robert, Ken, Allison, Catherine and even Brad would agree. Only now do I understand that.

Somehow Robert realised this. In fact, I think he realised it a long time ago. He just doesn’t want to admit to anyone that he actually has a brain. If that’s the case, he could well be the best man for the job, both making the tough decisions and keeping up morale. I’m bound to hesitate, over-think, and spend too long planning the perfect attack. He just gets on with it.

I envy that ability, I really do. He shoulders the burden well, better than Allison, better than any of us.

Ken, Robert and Brad often talk about what they’d do once the battle is over. Brad wants to teach, Ken I think is just figuring things out, and Robert? Well, I don’t actually know, but they assume they’ll be able to slip straight back into the life they had before the Black Water landed. Thing is, neither Catherine nor I have the heart to tell them the real punch line.

War changes people.

I don’t think our job will ever be over. There will always be an enemy for us to defeat. The guys could always back down and leave the fighting to someone else, but then could they cope knowing that people are dying while they’re off living life? I for one certainly couldn’t, and I know Allison couldn’t cope. Catherine too.

That’s the thing. Now that we have the power to combat real evil, we can never ignore it.

How could we? Could you?

I must admit though, the thought of being out of a job for once is pretty damn enticing. I mean, I probably wouldn’t spend it at the beach, wearing skimpy swimming costumes that’s for sure, but think of all the things I could achieve…

Okay, I don’t know what I’d do. I’ve never had the chance to think about it. My life has always been about receiving and following orders selflessly. And when I think about it now, all that comes to mind is what would happen if a new enemy reared its ugly head while I was off trying to enjoy myself. I’m pretty broken, aren’t I?

Maybe one day I’ll be able to fix myself. Maybe one day I’ll have the time. Until then all I can think of are the people I willingly sacrificed under General Bryant’s regime, all the evil I must have helped him achieve. Hell, I know I trained a few of his elite guard even if they refuse reveal their identities. I can‘t make up for that and I don’t think I should even try (that kind of thing can ruin people.) So for now all I can do is be a Cross Ranger.

Incursion Seventeen: Earth Father

In the car, Catherine explained to the rangers her dual reasoning for letting them have a day off. She did her best to explain to them what Brother Gray had told her, adding her own theories in the process.

“So, what is this Order of the Trinity?” asked Ken.

“They say they formed around the time of the magi tribes as the devoted followers and guardians of the magi emperor and the knowledge he held.”

Maria crossed her arms. She was quite a bit more skeptical than the others. “And we can trust them, can we?”

“I can’t say for sure,” replied Catherine, “but yeah, I think we can. I felt their power, and for some reason I know we can trust them.”

They weren’t far from Fort Lowsdale now, and quickly coming upon the refugee camps lining the road into town.

“Alright. If you say so, Lieutenant.” Maria faced forward in her seat. “I’m going to reserve my judgement for later though.”

“If they still exist, then what about the emperor? Do they still protect him?”

Allison smiled at her friend’s unhindered reckoning. “I doubt it’s the same man, Rob.”

“Of course not, I know that. I mean these guys are basically all that remains the Trinity clan, right? So why bother keeping the knowledge like they do if there’s no emperor to protect?” He frowned.

Though it was easy to dismiss the Order, he did wonder why they chose now to reveal themselves. The Cross Rangers had been in the media for a while.

“Lock the books away somewhere and get back to the modern world. I am right?” Brad added.

Catherine found herself agreeing. “I suspect you’re not far wrong. So if there is an awakened modern emperor from the Trinity clan, then the Order must have decided the Earth is in enough danger to come out of hiding and fight alongside him.”

“As far as I care, this is all just a story,” said Ken.

As they passed the entrance to the camp, Allison shouted, “Stop the car.”

Catherine screeched on to the bank and Allison burst out of the car.

“What’s going on?” Ken called after her.

“Don’t know. Something’s wrong.”

A plume of smoke rose from behind the camp’s canteen tent.

They piled out of the car and took off at a run, following her through the twists and turns of the camp that she seemed to be able to navigate like the freckles on the back of her hand.

The tents gave away on either side to one of the main communal areas of the camp. Workers would often organise activities for this space, anything to keep moral up. That afternoon the space was deserted. At the centre of the clearing sat the smouldering wreck of the camp generator.

The wreckage shuddered, creaked and groaned. Black Water bubbled up within its cauldron-like husk.

Ken jabbed his sister in the arm. “Does that explain it for you?”

The rapidly expanding mass of black ichor grew arms and legs, the remains of the generator covered its back like a turtle’s shell. It gathered in more and more of the blast debris until it was encased in a makeshift armour.

“I’ll get the refugees to safety,” said Catherine. “You deal with that.”

The monster’s arm extended, stretching like a rubber putty, to ensnare Lieutenant Moses and throwing her into a tent pole. She crumpled to the floor.

Allison started. She broke from the group to kneel and check on Catherine’s unconscious body.

“I can’t let anything happen to the refugees, guys. We’ll have to split up.”

A warm flash of light burst into existence in the centre of the communal space. It died away just as quick as it had appeared, revealing the entire Order, hoods raised.

“Don’t worry, young magi,” said Brother Gray, “We’ll shoulder that burden.”

With speedy efficiency the Order spread out into the tent city of the refugee camp. Brother Gray hung back a second to ensure Catherine was well out of the line of fire, before joining his companions.

Robert and the others regrouped before the generator mutant and called for their morphers.

“Alright, let’s do it… Cross Form.”

As they crossed their arms over their chests, the gems set into their morphers shone with runic magi clan energy and condensed into their hyper flexible two-toned armour.

“Fire and Metal; Red Cross.”
“Water and Lightning; Blue Cross.”
“Air and Light; White Cross.”
“Earth and Water; Green Cross.”
“Sonic and Fire; Yellow Cross.”

“Magi Tribe Cross Ranger,” they shouted in unison.

If the mutant had proper eyes to roll it would have. Instead it charged for them. Each deadly swing of its arms were accompanied by the sting of sheared, white hot metal.

Yellow Cross buffeted away the attacks meant for her with hasty walls of vibration, and next to her the blue and green rangers did much the same with jets of high pressure water. Calling upon his metal clan ancestry, Red Cross turned his arms themselves into shields.

Not deterred by their attempts, the generator mutant let loose a huge gout of flame. The rangers dived out of the way.

Torn between aiding her friends and helping the Order evacuate the camp, White Cross hesitated a moment too long. The pillar of fire ripped through the tent behind her setting it ablaze. In no time at all it begun to spread. She swore she could almost hear the cries of the refugees as they scattered to safety, mixed with the few and far between orders of a strong male voice; Brother Gray no doubt.

Red Cross picked himself up off the ground. “Get your head in the game, Al.”

“Alright, damn it!” she roared.

With a magical wind at her back, White Cross sailed forward and punched the mutant in the gut. It caught her attack and twisted her arm. She spun out of the control, losing her touch with the wind that buoyed her along.

The Cross Rangers toppled like pins. The generator mutant cackled maniacally.

A ball of tri-coloured light streaked out of the sky and knocked the monster on its shell-like back. The light zipped over to the rangers and pulled them to their feet with little more than the power emanating from it.

“What’s that?” said Red Cross, “to state the obvious...”

The ball of light struck ground between the rangers and the mutant as though it were a comet.

In the crater left in its wake was a man of polynesian birth. Wearing a simple white and gold robe in the same style as the order, he knelt on one knee, hand braced against the ground. Strapped to that arm was an ornate, black, rune-covered box with a free spinning disk on top, not unlike a compass but more akin to a game show roulette wheel. It’s three colours; red, blue and white.

“It’s a shame to meet you all like this,” he said standing. “I’d hoped to introduce myself properly… no time now.”

He thrust his free hand at the ground, still smouldering from his entrance, and the other to the sky. He snapped his forearm around so the wrist device faced forward.

“Clan form roulette.” He brought his arms together in a wide arc, striking the wheel with a stamp of his foot.

The very same tri-coloured light condensed into a black suit of armour not disimilar to that worn by cross rangers, with thin and intricate tribal designs around the visor and chest. They seemed to lack all colour, existing in a space somewhere beyond even grayscale.

After a few seconds the wheel begun to spin slower and slower until finally it ticked audibly between it’s three colours. It was as though the morpher were taking it’s time in deciding.

The morpher clicked over to the white segment and locked in place. “Air… Perfect.”

The colourless tribal designs flared a brilliant white and a bladed gauntlet shimmered into being on his free arm.

“The ancestral head of the nine magi tribes.” He struck the posture of a martial artist or a kabuki practitioner. “Lord of the Order. Magi Emperor… CrossTrinity!”

The Magi Emperor leaped forward, a burst of air beneath his feet propelling him onward much like White Cross. He struck with such efficiency that each and every slash of his blade cleaved chunks of metallic debris from the mutant. In no time at all, all but the shell-husk remained.

He took advantage of its weakened state and spun the clan spinner once more. This time it landed on the segment reserved for the fire clan. The suit’s white lines turned red and gauntlet shifted into a short staff.

“Yes, that’ll do the trick.”

CrossTrinity spun the staff creating a wheel of flame. He twirled it over his head and threw the entire thing at the generator mutant. The flame staff stuck deep in its chest. The Black Water within the creature ignited and it burst apart.

He unlocked the spinner, armour dissolving, and turned to the awestruck Cross Rangers.

“You must be the emperor,” said Yellow Cross.

At least part of the story was true, but even though CrossTrinity had saved them from the Black Water this time, that didn’t make them allies. The Order could still have had tricks up their sleeves, and by playing the helpful stranger card might try to break the team apart from the inside. Time and proof of their goals were what the yellow ranger needed.

“There is nothing here for me to rule over, you don’t need to call me that” He smiled. “My name is Manuarii.”


With the help of Manuarii and the Order, the rangers got the majority of refugees to safety. The camp was a wreck long before the emergency services arrived, but the fire brigade made light work of getting the fires under control.

It took her a while but she eventually tracked down her boss to see if everyone had made it out in one piece.

“I’m sorry, Powel. The rangers were a little too late.” He shook his head gravely. “And where were you? Look, I’ve got a lot to sort out.”

“Is there nothing I can do?”

He seemed to turn frosty. “I don’t think so. See you around.”

It began to look like the most pertinent question was, where would they get the money to rebuild? Like all camps in the area, they were already at capacity. Where would everyone go? The camps near Steele City were far larger and better equipped to take the strain, yes, but even they had little space.

Allison wouldn’t have wanted to be the one to break the news.

After much arguing she managed to get an up-to-date camp roster. She knew there were casualties, but until she saw the names it didn’t hit her just how serious the attack had been.

The family she met on her first day... their little girl hadn’t made it out alive.

Two posts today, because you're all awesome!

... and I totally didn't forget to post the first one this Saturday



Allison sat in silence in her room. She’d considered turning out the light. Or perhaps closing her eyes and waiting until either the Black Water destroyed existence or starvation set in, which ever came first.

For a short while she’d chuckled at how stupid that sounded. Am I really that much of a baby? I’m not an angst-ridden teenager anymore! But then her mind swerved back toward all the memories she had of her work at the refugee camp and the world seemed devoid of hope once more.

Despite all she’d done to help, all the meals she’d handed out, all the times she’d read bedtime stories to the kids, or all the games nights she’d run to keep up morale, it meant nothing. Nothing. Clearly, the well-intentioned actions of a good woman didn’t matter squat when it took just one single mutant attack to ruin the dream.

The stupid thing was Allison had known it was pointless from the start. While the Black Water was at large, people could still be blown up, they could still get an easily treatable disease and have no money to buy the cure.

And even if the cure was given as a gift on government aid, those people could still die in fire because no human could be in two places at once. People made mistakes, and mistakes inevitably cost lives.

That poor little girl… Everyone expects the rangers to be heroes, but how can we do a damn if we’re still only human? A few pathetic magic tricks… it’s just not enough!


Robert pressed his ear against his bedroom wall and strained to hear.

A knock on the door made him jump. He thrust his hands in the air and spun around to see Ken standing there with his arms folded.

“Eavesdropping?“ He shook his head. “I don’t think she’d appreciate that. Especially when she wants to be left alone...”

“Well what do you suggest we do?”

“Leave her to it.”

“You’re kidding me...”

“Now who out of us has known Allison his whole life?”

“Uh, you.” Robert replied, flopping down onto his bed. “But if you want to be technical about it though Ken, we’re both older than you and I knew her before you were born… I think.”

Ken sighed. “Look, I know my own sister. If she says she wants some time alone, well then you better learn to appreciate that.”

“But she’s upset. I just want to do something to cheer her up.”

“Tell you what, Rob.” Ken grinned. “You go talk to her. See if you can come out with the same amount teeth you went in with.”

Robert cringed. “You may have a point there.”

“We just have to let her get over it. She’s way too stubborn to accept our help.”


Maria overheard the boys talking and decided to take matters into her own hands.

She’d come to see if they want to join her for a little training. When no one answered, she’d let herself in with the spare key.

Despite Robert and Ken’s worries, she ignored their advice and knocked on Allison’s bedroom door. However, before the bereft young woman could answer or even begin to complain, Maria went inside.

“Alright. Moping time over.” She flung open the curtains bathing the room in natural sunlight. “Up, up, up! You have training to do.”

“Maria...” Allison stood slowly. “I know we’ve only just met but there’s something you should know about me. If you don’t get out right now I’ll-”

“You’ll what? You’ll cry, you’ll stop eating?”

“No, I-”

The captain dropped back into the role of a commander with readily apparent ease. “I really don’t care what you think, White. You can stay here for all I care, but know this. If you do, I can’t promise we’ll win very many battles.”

“You’ve got Manuarii now, you’ll be fine…”

“Will we? Look what happened the last time you dropped your guard. Do you really believe you couldn’t have save that kid you’re so fond of?”

Fire burned in Allison’s eyes. She balled her fists. “Don’t. You. Dare!”

“What? Did I hurt your feelings? Oh I’m so sorry.”

“No, Maria,” she yelled. “You don’t get to make fun of me this time. A poor defenseless little girl lost her life because none of us could focus on what mattered the most. We’re the only people on Earth who don’t get to make mistakes like that!”

“Quite right.”

“What do you- I … huh?”

“You’re right Allison. Until we don’t need any help from people like Brother Grey and the Emperor, I doubt we’ll be strong enough to defeat the Black Water.”

Allison narrowed her eyes. “I know what you’re trying to do.”

“I’m sure you do,” Maria said with a shrug. “You’re a clever girl.”

She growled beneath her breath and began shoving things into a backpack she had nearby. “Don’t think you’re allowed to manipulate me like this.”

“Then why are you packing for training?”

“That is what you came to see us about right?”

A smile crossed the Captain’s face. She chuckled. “Like I said, less moping, more training.” She turned to the wall shared with Robert’s room and raised her voice. “And you two can stop eavesdropping too. There’s no time to waste!”

Incursion Eighteen: Thrill Seeker

Pitch black ooze seeped from the corpse of the monk the monster had murdered. It drew upwards into a pillar, becoming more and more humanoid until there stood a duplicate of the dead Trinity monk.

The copy drew up its hood and stepped away into the night.


That very same night the ‘monk’ found himself on the Fort Lowsdale university campus. No one he passed batted an eyelid at the way he was dressed, but never the less he felt he ought to do something a bit more to fit in.

He liquified and slid from the cloak into the drains. He made his way up hill towards the library, skipped into the cold running water and lay in wait.


Ken shouldered his bag and stepped out of the apartment. Being the last out, as always, he locked the door, before crossing the landing to Brad’s place so they could walk in together.

After a while he began to wonder whether he was coming at all. Ken tried the door and found it unlocked.

“Brad? You in here?”

A clattering and a loud thump sounded from the bedroom. “Hm what? What’s happening?”

“It’s Ken. And we’ll miss the lecture if you don’t hurry up.”

“Oh... sorry…” Brad tumbled out of his room, his hair a wild tangle of red.

“Hey, it’s not my problem.” Ken shrugged. “Would you like five more minutes?”

“That would be gr- hey... wait a minute!” He disappeared back into his room.

Ken folded his arms. Maybe he could miss a few classes but Ken didn’t have that luxury. He’d never meant to go to university in the first place, but if the job called for it…

Yet that begged the question: Was there any point in keeping up this ruse if they were cut off from the Agency? Who was it helping now? Their landlady had defected from Bryant’s regime, and had been working mostly to keep the military itself away with insistent calls of top secret and classified.

It wasn’t an easy situation considering.

Well, I suppose it keeps the other tenants off guard, doesn’t it.

Brad reappeared not a moment later fully dressed with his notebook in hand. He grinned. “You ready?”

“Are you?”


After their lectures Brad and Ken decided they would spend some time in the library getting a head start on their frankly ridiculous load of coursework.

The way things were going at home, with the appearance of Manuarii, aka CrossTrinity, they knew they’d have little free time to do so later. They barely had time to properly patrol for Black Water incursions any more between helping Allison and her colleagues set up and construct the replacement refugee camps.

This was quickly becoming more of an operation than the five of them couldn’t handle alone, even with those who defected from the Agency after the raid, even with the addition of the magi emperor and the Order of the Trinity.

Ken began to wonder whether pulling the Agency apart was really worth it. Wasn’t one despot’s regime better than none at all…? Or two, or even three disparate entities fighting against each other, driving at the same goal but getting in each other’s way?

Something need to be done, and Ken wondered if the rangers needed to take a step back and let the civilian parties deal with refugee camps and morale and rebuilding. Magi were uniquely suited to defeating mutants and monsters. Why not do what they did best?

To top it all off, General Bryant had been far too quiet since his defeat. That meant only one thing. He was building up for something big; training more of his elite perhaps.

“I said, what do you think about this?”

Brad’s voice snapped Ken from his inner monologue. “About what?”

He shrugged. “Forget it, not important.”

“No Brad, go on.” Ken frowned.

Something about his fellow student and ranger rubbed him the wrong way. Perhaps it was the way he acted like all this coursework was important, or the way he seemed to enjoy being a ranger.

Brad sighed. “Let me guess. You were think about you-know-what again, weren’t you?”

“Why shouldn’t I?”

Brad lowered his voice some. “We may have a duty, mate, but the way I see it we’re still two young guys who should be doing young guy things.”

“And that’s coursework, is it?”

“Living! Being normal! Watching… I don’t know, RWBY or something!”

Ken stood with abrupt purpose. “We’re not normal guys, Brad. Stop treating this like a game.”

“You calling me a thrill seeker?” Brad stood also and squared up to him.

Not far away the librarian hissed at them to be quiet and gestured angrily to the door.

Ken grunted in frustration and charged out into the reception.

They all had their reasons for fighting, reasons that were all equally valid he supposed. Allison want to protect the people. Robert felt a need to deal out justice where no one else could. Maria had found herself part of a corrupt organisation, but still kept true to her morals and upbringing and gave up everything she’d worked for her entire adult life to do what she thought was right.

Ken simply could not understand Brad. To do something different because you were bored with your present life? That just wasn’t good enough.

He went to the bathroom to cool off, before he did something he’d regret.


Brother Gray met with the emperor Manuarii in the back of a cafe in downtown Fort Lowsdale. They wanted to discuss many of the same issues that plagued Ken and the rangers.

“There must be a way for us to establish a true support network, for the people if anything,” said Brother Gray. “In society’s current shape, well, we can’t last long.”

“We have the start of something good here, brother,” replied Manuarii. “The Order. The Rangers. The aid workers.”

“Then the only real issue is the tainted magi and his remnant Agency?”

“There can only be one course of action, and whether wrong or right we have to push forward.” The magi emperor’s quest to find the magi descendents had taken him all over the world but had kept him totally disconnected from the real world. He had spent some time studying the situation yet, despite his confidence, he felt like some neophyte newcomer. “Black Cross represents an obstacle to be overcome...”

Another of the Order, one Brother Edwards, rushed into the cafe short of breath and gave a curt bow. The other cafe patrons looked to him with suspicion, but he didn’t care. “Hanson still hasn’t checked in.”

“Search everywhere,” replied Gray. “That boy is prone to flights of fancy...”

“Taken care of.” Edwards left as quickly as he’d arrived.

Manuarii hung his head. And so it begins… the long slog of war.


Ken burst into the bathroom and waved his hand under the tap’s motion sensor. No water. He waved again. Still nothing. He tried a few more sensors down the row to much the same effect.

Why is it that things never seemed to go right when you were angry and upset? Murphy’s law in practice. He really didn’t need that right now.

The door to one of the stalls slammed open, making Ken jump.

Brad stepped out, wearing a navy jumper instead of the hoodie Ken remembered from a couple of minutes ago.

“Did you follow me in here?”

Brad didn’t reply. He grinned and lashed out at Ken with the back of his hand.

Ken easily parried the blow and caught another. “What are you trying to do, exactly?”

“Defeating a magi warrior.” Brad sweeped Ken’s legs out from under him.

He tumbled into the basins which chose that moment to do what they were made for. Every tap in the bath opened at once, overflowing and soaking Ken.

He pulled himself to his feet, being careful not to slip on the floor. “Is this all because I shouted at you?”

“No”

Ken caught Brad’s reflection in floor and noticed something was different. “Since when did you have a tail?”

Fake Brad spun and slammed his tail into Ken’s stomach.

“Alright… I get it.” His morpher shimmered into existence. “I don’t want to do this in the library, but it’s time to say goodnight before you cause anymore trouble. Cross form!”

Blue light lit up the small bathroom, bouncing off the water-soaked floor and walls and transforming him into Blue Cross.

The real Brad shoved open the bathroom door at that moment. “Holy cow…”

He morphed into Green Cross and fell into his stance beside the blue ranger. They looked at each other. He had considered leaving Blue Cross to fight alone, but found he couldn’t.

“Okay, before you start shouting at me again Ken, I’ve lived through exactly the same terror for the past five years as everyone else in this stupid messed up world of ours. So don’t tell me I’m ignorant. If you understand Rob, I know you can figure me out. Are we cool?”

“For now,” Blue Cross replied. He feigned scratching an itch on his chest, and pointed his index finger at the floor.

The green ranger nodded.

“Now that you two are done talking, I’m going to kill you,” the shapeshifter said. “Where are you friends now?”

“Having a better time than us?” Green Cross quipped.

“Torrent Advent!” they called in unison. As they thrust their hands forward, the water flooding onto the floor reacted to their call and crashed into the fake Brad and blasted him clean apart.

Blue Cross shook his head and released the water from his enchantment. “They really don’t make them like they used to...”

“They used to mutate armadillos into big ugly behemoths.”

Their armour dematerialised. Ken looked at Brad and raised his eyebrow. “The only time I make a witty action hero one-liner, and you miss the point?”


When they got back to the apartment Brad joined them. Ken filled the others in on what had happened at the university, and how the Black Water could now apparently imitate people down to nearly the finest detail.

Robert frowned. “That’s disturbing.”

“To say the least...” added Maria.

Ken turned to Catherine. “So what do we do?”

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and massaged the bridge of her nose. “Well, at some point we’re going to have to crawl back into the belly of the beast.”

Maria got up from the breakfast bar and crossed over to the couch where the lieutenant sat. “Another raid?”

“Nope.”

“End game?” She said, speaking a code word the two of them had agreed upon weeks ago.

Catherine nodded slowly. “I spoke to the Order earlier today. Both Brother Gray and Manuarii agree that the General and his Agency guys are the number one variable we need to squash before we move against No-one and Black Water.”

Robert didn’t want to say it but he agreed. He hadn’t signed up for all out warfare against separatist branches of his own country's military, neither, he figured, had Allison and the others, but you had to do what you had to do.

“Alright. I’m in.”

Incursion Nineteen: Royal Trinity

The flames coursed across the hybrid-type monster’s flesh.

CrossTrinity, Yellow Cross and Red Cross lowered their weapons, pleased that a three-way flare blitz attack had solved the problem.

The red ranger slumped, tired from the fight. “These guys just keep popping up, don’t they?”

“I make that the third in two days,” said Green Cross.

Indeed, numerous Black Water creatures had found their way into town over the past week all mimicking human beings… albeit badly. It was beginning to remind them all of the city, only here they had no quarantine wall to keep the bad guys out. How they got here baffled Green Cross. After all they’d been extremely careful to ensure no infection took hold.

“Whether our focus is on the Black Water or General Bryant, it doesn’t matter,” said CrossTrinity. Since he’d started working with them, the rangers had found him to be quite inciteful. Strangely, he never once attempted to wrest control from Red Cross or Lt. Moses. “Both will come at us until we finish this. Our way.”


The next day the rangers went out into the wild scrub land just outside Fort Lowsdale to train with their weapons. On a particularly dry and windy day like today, the arid, nutrient-poor soils whipped into a frenzy of stinging sand particles. They were very glad for the protection their helmets afforded them.

CrossTrinity, shifting back into his neutral base form, called them together after they’d warmed up a little.

“I have a little something I want to teach you five.” He gestured for Catherine to bring over the metal cases the weapons had been stored in since the raid. “I’d like you all to hand your weapons back to Lieutenant Moses here. She will then lock the cases.”

“How are we supposed to train with these things if you won’t let us use them?” asked Red Cross..

“Patience.” Minute irritation showed in his voice, but was swiftly crushed. “I’m getting there.”

The rangers did as they were told, and Catherine locked the cases. She placed them on the ground beneath a thorny shrub about ten metres away as instructed.

“First, you must watch me.”

CrossTrinity held his hand above his head. After a few seconds it began to glow in his signature tricolour. A streak of pure red energy shot through the top of one of the cases and into his hand. As it solidified into Red Cross’ spear, the intricate tribal lines on CrossTrinity’s armour turned red.

“There is no need to always carrying your weapons into battle. This way you can call on them whenever you need them, wherever you happen to be.”

He moved back to the cases and put away the fire spear. “It’ll take some practice, but you should have no problem calling them over these sorts of distances. The ultimate goal is for you to be able to feel their presence anywhere in the world and pull them through the aether to your hands, no matter what.”

“That sounds a little improbable.” Green Cross peered at the cases all those metres away. It broke logic to think solid matter could be pull through solid metal, let alone over any distance imaginable.

“You just have to visualise it,” said CrossTrinity. “You are strong magi, my friends, you already have the power to do this.”

After a few hours, when they had just about gotten the hang of summoning them over ten metres, CrossTrinity teleported over to the cases and sent them even further away. It seemed unfair, but sure enough they could still feel their presence. It took some considerable effort to accomplish the second time round now the goal posts had moved but they tried their best.


Catherine cornered CrossTrinity once the wind died down and he sent the others to take a break. He let his transformation reverse so they could talk face to face.

“Why are you doing this for us?” she asked.

“Why shouldn’t I?” Manuarii smiled. “This is my calling.”

He was quite a disarming man. Whether that were his intention or not, Catherine found herself rather charmed by him.

“You know, it’s just, you’re not like I’d imagine an emperor to be… and I’m not exactly used to people jumping at the chance to help out with what we do.”

“You do certainly appear to be social pariahs. Although...” He chuckled. “Put it this way, I’m not a government man. I’m not even military. Back in my home country I’m a teacher, a mentor. The Order tell me you deserve more support, and I’m very happy to provide.”

In the background, Catherine could hear Robert talking quite passionately, but it was too far and too difficult to make out what he was saying.

She took Manuarii’s hand and shook it. “I’m glad someone finally recognised our need. It’d be near impossible to accomplish this goal without help.”

Robert once again broke her concentration. She saw him running towards them, shouting about... still nothing she could make out, but he was also pointing at something.

They followed his eyeline to a figure in Order robes approaching slowly from the direction of the town.

Manuarii frowned. “I left specific instructions to give us privacy.”

As the figure got closer his features slid into view.

“That’s Brother Hanson… He went missing a few days ago,” he explained to Catherine. “The boy’s always between running off on his own, just give me a second. This shouldn’t take long.”

The Polynesian magi strode confidently to intercept Hanson before he interrupted the rangers.

Robert and the others joined Catherine.

“What do you suppose he wants with Manu?” said Robert.

Maria did a double take on him. “Wait, you’re giving him a nickname already? Is that a bit… considering...”

He simply shrugged. “I don’t really see the problem.”

Alison rolled her eyes. “Do you ever?”

A hoarse, gurgling scream cut the air. They spun to find where it came from.

“Oh... shit…” gasped Brad.

Hanson had grown a barbed tail and thrust it through Manuarii’s chest. The magi emperor’s eyes were wide with the disbelief of unexpected betrayal. He hadn’t even had the chance to reach for his morpher.

Ken and Brad looked at each with a horrifying realisation. The shapeshifter they’d fought in the university library clearly wasn’t as dead as they thought he was.


A unmarked military jeep sat on the crest of a nearby hill. The soldier running target acquisition lowered his binoculars.

“General, Echo Three has engaged the rangers. You’re clear to proceed.”

“Understood.”


The ranger’s morphers shimmered into being on the back of their hands.

“Cross form!”

They swung their arms in opposing arcs, the gem’s set into the morphers trailing a magical energy. The light burst outward forming their coloured armour.

As the rangers fought to lead the shapeshifter away from Manuarii, Catherine ran to his side. His eyes fluttered and he grasped at his chest in a vain attempt at keeping his life.

“Come on, don’t die now!”

“If... my time has… come…” Though he choked to get the words out, he seemed to keep his cool.

“What do you mean, no, just-”

“Shh, Catherine.” He wheezed and coughed, but managed to reach for his morpher. “I con, considered telling you sooner, but I … I wanted to make sure you were the one.”

Manuarii touched the morpher to her wrist. The wheel spun and the strap snaked around her wrist. “Lieutenant Catherine M-moses. You are one of the final descendents of the Trinity Clan.”

He doubled up in pain. Another coughing fit wracked his body. When it subsided, Manuarii’s body went slack.

“I’m the - Are you sure? Hey…” Catherine shook him by the shoulders. “Hey! There has to be some kind of mistake.”

Her father would have taken the news with glee. He’d always suspected the family to be descended from the royal line, but she’d never really believed him. Then again she never used to believe that magi existed…

Look how that turned out.

She closed Manuarii’s lifeless eyes and stood.

The shapeshifter had the rangers pinned. She couldn’t deny that somehow the Trinity morpher felt at home on her wrist.

I guess I’ll have to, won’t I?

In tribute to the man who’d not long given back her hope, Catherine struck the pose she’d seen him use once - one arm raised to the sky and the other to the ground - but before she could morph a shadow bolt struck at her feet making her jump.

“Well, well, this is a turn out for the books.” Black Cross appeared behind her. She realised then the opening she’d given him.

Then it hit her. Manuarii and the Order were right about one thing, Bryant had to be defeated before he did anymore damage to the country’s ability to protect itself. They’d never said how. Maybe the rangers didn’t have to risk it all to break back into the Agency again.

“I guess it’s time we settle this like you always wanted,” she said. “Clan form roulette!”

She slid her hand across the wheel and set it spinning. A tri-coloured light overtook her forming CrossTrinity’s base form. The roulette dial clicked to a stop on the blue third and the grey tribal lines across her armour shifted hues to match.

Black Cross nodded. “I can’t say I’m impressed, you know.”

“I never asked you to be impressed, General.” After watching the rangers train all day in summoning their weapons, the new CrossTrinity hit upon a thought. She concentrated and a blue wrist mounted blaster formed around her free wrist. “And besides, have you seen these powers in action?”

“You used to be such a quiet little lieutenant, doing whatever I told you.” He glanced back to see the rangers still held up fighting ‘Echo Three’, and smiled. “What ever happened to that Catherine Moses?”

“She grew up.” CrossTrinity snapped her arm out and a torrent of water jetted from her blaster hitting Black Cross square in the chest.

“Like I said.” He shrugged it off and levelled his own gun at her. “Not impressed.”

He fired a shot that sailed over her right shoulder. She flinched left but took a shadow bolt in the arm and spun to the dirt.

Black Cross pressed the attack and fired again and again. CrossTrinity rolled out the way of a blast and spun the roulette dial along a rock that lay in her path. When she sprung to her feet, the designs shifted from blue to red and the blaster gauntlet turned into the fire staff.

She hurled the staff at Black Cross and it burst into a ball fire. He ducked beneath and the staff circled back to her grasp.

He chuckled and panted. “Okay, I spoke too soon perhaps, but you can’t beat me. You know you can’t. You don’t have it in you!”

“Now now, sir. Let’s not be reduced to such childish antics.”

Incursion Twenty: Royal Trinity, Part Two.

White Cross saw it happen.

She saw Black Cross’ ambush and Lt. Moses’ transformation into CrossTrinity. You couldn’t just pass on a magi heritage like that, could you?

Guess I missed the part where Catherine was a royal all along; or she’s been lying to us...

The Shapeshifter transformed its arms into huge spikes of black ichor and lunged at White Cross. She caught one under her arm and blocked the other with her opposite forearm. It swung it’s arm again, raining blows down upon her, trying to break her grip.

She threw the ‘shifter into the path of a landslide advent from Green Cross. It lost it’s balance, caught it’s foot on a jagged outcrop of rock and crumpled to the floor.

“Ken?” said Green Cross. “Let’s do it properly this time.”

They concentrated and formed the image in their mind, just as Manuarii had taught them. Their weapons leaped to them in streaks of energy from across the scrubland.

Blue Cross pointed his blaster at the mutant, and Green Cross hoisted the hammer over his head.

“Riptide Blitz!” they roared.

Trigger pulled and hammer swung, two of their fastest torrents of water slammed down on the shapeshifter and tore away chunks of the Black Water that made up it’s body.


CrossTrinity’s roulette dial clicked over to white, and her suit shifted away from black and blue to black and white. The air blade gauntlets formed out of the energy that was the fire staff.

“Air versus air.”

“Whatever you say.” Black Cross shrugged, and launched a gust of wind from his palm. It was no stronger than a half-hearted shove in the shoulder.

CrossTrinity didn’t know what he was up to and frankly she didn’t care. “Hurricane blitz!”

A slash of her blade ripped the air itself in two. It rushed back to fill the void with a thundering boom that disoriented Black Cross. With her hand outstretched, the whirling vortex of wind sped toward him.

The vortex unwound itself at Black Cross’s command.

“I control air, you control air…” As he spun his hand in the air, wind swirled around it. “How did you ever think this would work?“

“Funny thing that.” She snapped her still extended hand back, and a wall of air crashed into his back.

She watched him writhe on the ground, but took no pleasure from it. He was still the man who’d trained her, given her all the chances at promotion she could have wished for, a fast track to success.

“You’ve always been full of yourself General, but I’ve never had the courage to say it to your face. I could use any element I want against you and win, because you care more about yourself and your problems than you do about justice.”

“Talk, talk, talk!” He leaped to his feet. Shadow shrouded him. He full body tackled her. The shadow energy sparked against her armour. “And your problem, Lieutenant? You only became a full magi minutes ago, I’ve been one since the very first day.”

She struggled to her knees and mimed spitting at his feet. “Should that matter?”

“Experience, kid. It’s all a matter of experience.”

CrossTrinity scoffed. “I’ve experienced plenty. Just because these powers are new to me, doesn’t mean I’m weak.”

She uncovered her wrist just as the roulette dial clicked over to red. She jumped up and grabbed him by the hand, where his morpher hid beneath his gloves, and squeezed as hard as she could. Flame licked around her hand and along his forearm.

Black Cross flinched back. The heat bit into him, sparking up the magic in his armour, but CrossTrinity didn’t let up. With these powers she felt stronger than she ever had.

He pulled against her. “What are you... doing?!”

“When that great man over there died, he passed on more than the power of a magi. He passed on a legacy. I’m no longer just any magi warrior. I’m the empress.” Something shattered beneath his glove, but not just the bones in his hand. “It’s my great pleasure to remove from you your magic.”

“You, you can’t do that. Can you?” His power guttered and his armour began to flicker in and out of existence. Each time it did, he saw the shattered, discoloured gem barely hanging onto his morpher.

“I really didn’t want to do this… I wanted us to find a common ground. I wanted us to work together to defeat the Black Water but...” She let go of his hand and he dropped to his knees. His armour shattered out right, gone forever. “This is my real power, General.”

“You have no right. You’ve doomed us all!”

“No, sir, you have no right. You lost your right to command the moment you betrayed those under you. You sent us all away and kept a skeleton crew you knew wouldn’t turn on you… probably… but here’s the truth Bryant...” As she bent down to his level her armour also dissolved. “You’ve become a cancer killing our great nation from the inside out.”

“I only wanted to strengthen our-” He cut himself off and swung a punch.

Catherine caught it and pushed him away. “Go now, General. I’m not going to fight you like this. This is what mercy feels like.”

She stood and walked way, back towards the Cross rangers, no her fellow rangers, and their battle against the Shapeshifter. Her armour reappeared in it’s base form.

The enemy had reformed twelve metres away from whatever material it could find lying around. Without the Black Water the riptide blitz had taken from it, it resigned itself to using cacti and rock to complete itself.

CrossTrinity spun the roulette dial, but didn’t wait for it’s decision. She threw a punch before it could fully recover.

“Catherine!” Yellow Cross shouted. “Is it over? If Bryant done for?”

The punch connected, staggering the shapeshifter.

“I sure hope so,” she said. “I hope he can find a way to see what’s right.”

It tried to swing its tail at her only to find Red Cross had hold of it. The red ranger hauled the creature around and covered his fist in flame. “This is for killing, Manu.” He hit it dead between the eyes. It’s face deformed from the blow.

“And this is for everyone else you murdered on your way.” White Cross thrust her twin blades through it’s gut. It began to melt into it’s constituent parts.

Red and White Cross stepped back.

“We don’t want your kind here,” said CrossTrinity. “Trinity Advent!”

The roulette dial spun faster. The tribal lines on her armour cycled through red to white to blue to red… like a tricolour rainbow. Her fist’s glittered with pure magi energy. She clapped her palms together once and a tricoloured wave of power burst around the Shapeshifter, blowing it apart.


Later, when they got back to the apartment, Catherine lay on the couch. She had visible bags under her eyes.

“You don’t look so good,” said Maria.

She smiled. “I’m fine. I guess I’m just not strong enough to pull off an advent like that.”

Robert placed his hand on her shoulder. “Not strong enough yet.”

Catherine chuckled. “Yeah, Rob. I’ll get the hang of it.”

“Good.” Ken returned from the kitchen with a tray of drinks - a mixture of alcohol, tea and soft drink. “Because that attack was something else! Poor bugger didn’t stand a chance.”

“Guys, listen,” she said, interrupting their celebration. “Bryant still has what’s left of the Agency behind him. He may not be Black Cross anymore, but he can still throw a spanner in the works. We'll have to go after him one way or another.”


General Bryant stumbled back into his office. A junior lieutenant stood in the doorway wondering whether or not he should offer to help.

“What are you waiting for, boy?” the general roared.

“I, I just -”

“You just what?”

The look he got from General Bryant could have damn near killed him, never mind sour milk. The lieutenant bowed, multiple times, and backed out of the office.

“That’s better…”

He slumped into his chair and tried to summon his morpher. Instead a jolt of pain struck through his temples. “Damn it!”

Of all the people to finally do what they’d threatened, and it was Moses. Little, insignificant Moses. If anyone he would have expected Austin. Stupid, magi worshipping Austin. Always looking to do what’s right. He spat.

“Pathetic!”

From the shadows at the very back of his large office stepped a man. No, not a man, a monster, missing a leg, bandaged from head to toe, huge overgrown arm, with a black third-eye on his forehead.

“I have the answers you seek,” the monster said.

Bryant leaped to his feet, grabbing the pistol he kept taped to the underside of his desk. “Who are and what are you doing here?”

“I am no-one.” The mutant stepped closer and offered the general a open hand. In it sat a wriggling glob of Black Water not unlike a large magic bean. “This is your answer. Take it and you’ll once more have power. This is my promise to you.”

In a daze, the General took the lump of black water. As No-one lead him back into the shadows, the wriggling glob wormed its way beneath his skin.

“I’m sorry for letting you think you were making your own decisions, but you’ve done well following my orders, General,” No-one said. “Now you must meet your destiny.”

Incursion Twenty One: The Remnant

The helicopter carrying all but one of the Cross Rangers thrummed its way towards the mountains south of Steele City, and the Agency HQ.

“Thank you for doing this for us... again,” said Maria to the pilot, as she prepped her her equipment for the upcoming confrontation.

“The pleasure is all mine,” the pilot replied. He’d been the one to fly them the last time they stormed the base, and hadn’t taken much coaxing to do it again. “My daughter was student at the school you saved from that Black Water bastard. If it weren’t for you she could…”

Maria clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t thank me, okay? I was just doing my job… what should have been done from the start.”

“You’re far too modest.”

She chuckled. “Just get us to a hangar again and we’ll do the rest.”

“Sure thing, hoss.”


A first lieutenant gathered the General’s Elite Guard in the hangar.

They’d spotted the Cross Ranger’s helicopter in plenty of time, quite aware that Lt. Moses’ team must have used the same machine with the express purpose of alerting the Agency.

“The General is gone. We are the last garrison, the remnant.” The lieutenant’s eye bulged with thick black veins. “They want our head quarters. They want us dead. Well I say no!”

The Elite Guard roared with inhuman fervour. Some of them shed their armour and helmets and transformed into pitch black beasts. Other’s grew weapons from their own flesh and bone and bled black all over the battle-scarred hangar floor.

“It ends tonight.”


As they swung around the mountain, they saw the hangar bay doors were already open. And yet they’d seen no aircraft leave during their approach.

“I think they’ve taken the bait,” said Maria. “Now we just have to hope Catherine and her team can work their way in from the ground up.”

“Come on then,” added Robert. “Time’s a wastin.”

The pilot took a level swing close past the hangar doors and the rangers dove out. Allison called the winds to buoy them, and they arced down gracefully into the gaping maw of inevitability.


“Do you remember what I taught you about the Trinity clan?” said Brother Gray, sipping his coffee.

The Order had booked out the entire cafe for an emergency meeting as soon as they heard of Manuarii’s passing. There was much to discuss, and not only Catherine Moses taking over as the magi empress.

Brother Kline raised his hand. “It’s a power that comes from the very core of the Earth herself.”

“Quite right. So what precisely is the problem we face?”

One of the younger monks rolled his eyes. “I’m not sure I understand why you’re acting so… whats the word? Serious.”

“Brother, please,” Kline hissed.

“I’ll enlighten you all,” said Gray. “The infection is turning the Earth, poisoning her, and the one person who’s linked to the Earth in more ways than any of us is our new empress.”

“But what can we do?”

“See, that’s the million dollar question, ain’t it.” Brother Kline stood. “We’ll just have to destroy every single last molecule of Black Water before the taint becomes irreversible."

“Or, far simpler," replied Brother Gray, placing his mug calmly back on the table in front of him, "We go after the source...”


Greeted by already transformed, mutated elite guard, the rangers slid into their fighting stance, ready for whatever might happen to happen.

The Elite stood waiting as though giving them a little rope with which to hang themselves.

“Well, lookie here,” said Robert. “They’ve learned a little manners.”

Brad shook his head. "I hate stand-offs..."

“Cross Form!” The five core rangers summoned their morphers and crossed their arms at their waists. The mixed clan gems shone brightly. They swung their arms around in opposing arcs describing a circle, and magi power overtook them.

“Fire and Metal; Red Cross.”
“Water and Lightning; Blue Cross.”
“Air and Light; White Cross.”
“Earth and Water; Green Cross.”
“Sonic and Fire; Yellow Cross.”

“Magi Tribe… Cross Ranger!” they finished in unison.

The first to break the stand-off was an Elite Guard who now looked more like a giant beetle, complete with a carapace of black kevlar, topped with a tiny helmeted head. A true chimera. It clicked its oily black mouth parts, and let out a piercing shriek that sounded entirely too human, like the sound of being burnt alive.

The Beetle Guard surged forward on its humungous veined wings, knocking the rangers over like bowling pins.

By the time they recovered, the remaining guard were upon them.

Red Cross clashed first against the most human of the infected soldiers. The guard swung a bone-like sword tipped and edged with solidified Black Water. The red ranger blocked with the shaft of his hastily summoned fire spear. “Last of you guys I fought had no head… let’s take a look shall we!”

He ripped off the Elite’s full-visor helmet to reveal a face split straight down the centre, peeled back to show concentric circles of teeth. Tears of Black Water dripped from it’s eyes.

Red Cross shuddered and handed back the bewildered guard’s helmet. “Here you go buddy. You just put that back on, ‘kay?”


Blue Cross found himself hounded from the air by the Beetle Guard. He summoned his blaster and fired jets of magic-infused water every time the monster dipped close enough to get a good lock on it.

After a few passes the blue ranger got two shots in that drenched the beetle’s wings, forcing it to make an emergency landing. It screeched and produced from it’s hands the muzzles of two semi-automatics.

Thankfully, Blue Cross managed to leech kinetic energy from them with a shield of water, and deflect some of them with a few precision bolts of lightning, but it wasn’t quite enough. A round hit him in the chest and sparked against his armour.


With a flourish of her arms White Cross soared into the air. A guard, with spikes of blackness all of his body, lunged ineffectually beneath her. “Get down here!” He roared.

“Solar flare blitz.”

Her hand momentarily shone brighter than the sun. A point of light burst mere inches from the guard’s face. He spun away, shielding himself with his arm, but the flare seemed to follow him around the room. Truly disoriented, he ran headlong into the wing of a jet and collapsed.

Having dealt with her opponent, the white magi sunk to the ground and ran to join Yellow Cross.

The guard that had chosen her, though once a man and a soldier, had transformed into rock beast with skin of purest obsidian. He slammed his fists together once then a second time against the ground, shaking the rangers off balance.

They caught themselves in time to see the obsidian golem bare down upon them.

White Cross summoned her dagger and slashed up a cyclone blitz, a whirling vortex of slicing wind. It wrapped around the beast like a cloak, trapping it in place and dulling its edges.

“Sonic boom blitz,” said Yellow Cross, swinging her tonfas. Hundreds of pulses of sound pounded down against the cyclone blitz’s viel. The two attacks seemed to reinforce each other, shaking the guard apart from two fronts. Jagged cracks lanced their way across his chest.


Meanwhile a serpentine guard member, the only elite soldier remaining, set her sights firmly on Green Cross.

Rather than fight her head on, Green Cross ran. He slid passed a pile of crates and hard cases and under a jet’s wing to the side of the hangar.

The serpent slithered over the engine, along the fuselage, dropped down in front the green ranger, coiling herself around him. “Why run? Are you a coward?” She squeezed tighter.

“I’m not a coward!”

“You ran.” Her tongue darted in and out of her mouth.

The more he struggled the tighter she held on until he could barely breath, but with what air he could find Green Cross let out a battle cry. A ball of green light zipped in through the hangar door. It hovered momentarily over her head.

As she looked up, eyes wide in disbelief, the light resolved into Green Cross’ hammer, and knocked her directly on the head.

As she lost her grip on consciousness, the serpent released her grip and fell with a thud to the ground.

Green Cross reached out to grab the hammer. “You followed.”


On the other side of the hanger, the obsidian golem rolled free of it’s prison, trailing a landslide of rocks behind it. The beetle guard shook it’s wings dry and leaped back into the air.

The Cross Rangers thought about pursuing their opponents, but at the behest of Red Cross regrouped to think through the best course of action.

“How are we going do this?” said Red Cross. “We can hardly take on all three of them.”

“Hang on, Rob...” White Cross pointed passed the guard. “Look!”

The three remaining Elite spun to find someone behind their lines. Recognition passed across their faces.

It had been a while since they seen Catherine Moses - a lot had happened in the mean time, like the general opening their eyes to truth - but they knew her now as their enemy, the one they had sworn to eliminate.

Catherine, one arm to the ceiling and one to the ground, steeled her courage. Time to shine. “Clan form roulette!”

She dropped her arms and struck the roulette dial. Her black and grey base form armour materialised in a familiar tricolour burst of energy. Finally the dial ticked slower and slower, the needle landing on the red segment. The power of the fire clan rushed through her, the grey shifted to red and the fire staff formed in her hand.

“The ancestral head of the nine magi tribes. The magi empress… CrossTrinity!”

The familiar clack of a gun being cocked sounded behind her.

“You thought you could sneak past me, did you Moses?” The Lieutenant grinned maliciously. “Once you fall it's only a matter of time before I take out your traitorous followers. General Bryant is sure to promote me for this.”

She cringed beneath her helmet. “Oh… hey, you...”

In truth, she couldn’t recall the woman’s name, but had the vague sense that she used to tail the general like only the very best yes-man could.

“I bet you think those suits of yours are something, huh?” She circled around the rangers to join her mutated comrades, all the while keeping the gun trained on CrossTrinity. “Last time I checked, spandex does shit against bullets.”

“The General’s gone, lieutenant,” she said. “And believe me when I say this, he couldn’t give a crap about you.”

“I see what you're up to! You want his praise all for yourself,” she sneered.

“Far from it…” It was sad really, such a young officer twisted by that evil plague. “Bryant thinks only of himself. He’s not even on the base.”

The lieutenant lowered her gun a fraction. “And I suppose you checked?”

She nodded. “Funny you mention that.”

“No!” She said with disbelief. “No, he wouldn’t leave us.”

CrossTrinity walked toward her arms out stretched in surrender. It looked as though this upstart lieutenant had never fired a gun at someone in her life. With a bit of luck she never would.

The magi empress got close enough to disarm her and whisper in her ear. “I defeated him myself.”

She wailed and dropped to her knees. “You’re a monster!”

The split-headed guard, the Kevlar beetle, and the obsidian golem knelt and raised their hands above their heads like the well trained soldiers they’d once been.

They knew defeat when they saw it.

“Y- ... a… a monster…” The lieutenant backed away convulsing.

The elite guard shifted back into their human forms and dropped to the ground, dead. T

he Black Water that once coursed through their veins poured from them and splashed across the lieutenant, lifting her into the air and out of the bay doors.

“Is it me,” Catherine said, letting her armour dissolve, “or do they always leave just as the going gets tough?”

The others followed suit.

“It’s not just you,” said Ken. “In fact, the way things are going, we might see her and the general sooner than we think.”

Allison shot him a look. “Seriously, Kenneth... You’re a massive jinx, you know that?

Robert sighed. “I’m kind of disappointed. I was totally looking forward to a big fight...”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”

Catherine hung up the phone and turned to everyone gathered in the Fort Lowsdale apartment. Her face was the picture of blankness, until a huge grin broke from ear to ear.

Allison stepped over to the breakfast bar. “What’s the verdict?”

“We got it,” she said.

Maria sighed. “Awesome...”

Robert snorted and shook his head. “I thought you were the one who couldn’t wait to get things all military again. Like that time you told me I’m too much of a civilian to lead the Cross Rangers.”

“Cut me some slack, Red. The last couple times I was at HQ I fought my mentor, my idol. And he betrayed me. Understand?”

“Bad things happened there, I get it.”

“I’m not sure you do,” she said. “I helped destroy the organisation I was so excited about joining, back in the day.”

Allison turned to look out the window above the kitchen sink. She stared out over the rooftops and across town. “We’ll make it some place good again, Maria. Don’t worry about it.”

Catherine stood and straightened out her clothes. She stretched up tall and threw her shoulders back. “And to match my command of the old Agency HQ, you’re looking at the newest Captain of our nation’s army.”

A chuckle sprang up from over the table. They turn to see Maria smiling. “Doesn’t this make you my CO?”

“Yeah.”

“And what does that make me? As a fellow captain... you understand?”

Allison blinked as though she couldn’t believe the gall the woman had to ask such a question.

Ken and Brad found it pretty damn hilarious.

“Colonel’s given me two weeks to file my rosters, but I’d like it if you could fill in some role during the interim.”

“Acting first officer?”

“Alright,” said Catherine, leveling her finger at Maria across the work surface. “If you keep pushing it like that I could always just give it to Rob?”

“Oh God, please no…” Maria burst out laughing.

All but Robert joined in.

He just frowned. “What have you got against me, exactly?”

Her eyes were watering, and between sobbing laughter she said, “Oh come on, I’m just kidding. Anyway, you’ve never gone through training. You’re not a cadet, not even enlisted.”

“So?”

Allison sighed. “We’re just having a chuckle, Rob. Chill out.”

“No. It’s a matter of dignity, you know?” He opened a cupboard to get mug, slammed it down on the side and slammed the cupboard closed… forgetting it was one of those fancy one’s that closed slowly. “I’m not something to be made fun of whenever things get a bit too serious for you.”

Ken jabbed him in the side, and spoke with a lowered his voice. “We’re celebrating something here, dude.”

“Sorry, but it’s getting to me!”

To the surprise of everyone, Allison hugged him. “We don’t hate you or anything. You’re our friend, you’re my friend…” She reeled back and broke out in heaving laughter. “It’s just so damn funny!”

Robert tried to look as indignant as possible, but soon grinned. “Fine, just… make sure you remember to appreciate me.”


In under a week, Captain Moses’ regime had near totally moved in to the base that had once played host to events they would all rather forget.

Still working with a little more than skeleton crew, it had taken far longer than expected to refit the place. Catherine was beginning to wish they’d taken it easier on their surroundings when clearing out the Elite Guard remnant, but it would all be worth it in the end. This way she could order her people to get rid of as much of Bryant’s stuff as possible. Maria certainly wasn’t complaining on that front.

She walked into the new war room, dodging one of the non-com engineers and took a moment to appreciate how far they’d come. From two kids brought in under a paranoid General’s orders and one for snooping around where he shouldn’t have, to a simple neighbour and a fellow officer joining them, to today.

Bryant’s days were over and theirs were just beginning.

Time to save the world

“Can we get some light on in here?”

“Sure thing ma’am.”

Bar lightning flickered on across the ceiling. The computer consoles and central map faded to life.

“Get the Cross Rangers in here.”

One of the enlisted personnel sped off, more or less instantly, to find them. Catherine chuckled. That’ll really take some getting used to.

Even with the control centre of her base finished, there was still plenty to do. Piles upon piles of paper work was waiting for her; reports for her to review, personnel files to sign off on, contractors to pay…

Just as a tech booted up the new alarm system, klaxons rang throughout the base. It had been so long since she’d heard it that she took a while to figure out what was going on.

Robert, Ken, Allison, Brad and Maria rushed in wearing their new uniforms; sharp black trousers, heavy boots, and a shiny black jacket with their colours in one long stripe down the arm. On the breast of the jacket were their individual mixed clan symbols.

Cadet Ferris jumped to cancel the klaxon and check the report scrolling across the screen. She threw it across to the map with a gesture. “We’re getting a huge incursion signal downtown.”

“Alright, this is it, guys,” said Catherine. “First mission. Check out the signal and neutralise if you have to.”

“Right!”

As she watched them go, she felt a pang of guilt. What she would give to be out there with them. But then she knew what she was signing up for.


The rangers arrived in down to Fort Lowsdale in one of the base’s helicopters. Maria stood in for the pilot considering no orders for one had yet been issued. Soldiers had evacuated a mile radius around the signal area in preparation for their arrival, so once they arrived no innocent civilian would get hurt.

As they piled out the helicopter, No-one rose up from a puddle of Black Water frothing up out of an uncovered manhole.

“Haven’t you heard?” Robert shouted and they ranked up before him. “This town is so last week.”

“Wherever you happen to exist, I will still attack.” No-one lunged forward and swung his massively oversized arm.

The rangers dove out of the way and summoned their morphers. Springing from the roll with their crossed arms at their waist, they yelled, “Cross form!”

Magi energy overtook them, forming their armour.

“Fire and Metal; Red Cross.”
“Water and Lightning; Blue Cross.”
“Air and Light; White Cross.”
“Earth and Water; Green Cross.”
“Sonic and Fire; Yellow Cross.”

“Magi Tribe… Cross Ranger!” they finished in unison.

“I’ve heard it all before,” growled No-one, swinging for them again.

“Yeah well, indulge us on this one.” Yellow Cross ducked low inside his range and exploded a sonic boom against his stomach. The Black Water’s most infamous creation tumbled backwards into his own pillar of pitch black ichor.

They called their weapons.

“To be honest, I’d rather be doing paper work than messing around with you,” Yellow Cross added. “Do you ever have a good idea or do you pretty much get up in the morning and decide to go on a rampage?”

She leaped toward the enemy with Red Cross. They slashed with their spear and tonfas, bathing No-one in blanket of flame.

He struggled to his feet, skinning knitting back together imperfectly. “I am merely making sure you’ve not forgotten about me. Silence does not mean inaction.” He grinned.

“I guess you’re not going to just tell us what you’ve been up to…” Red Cross shook his head.

“If you paid attention you might be someone... but you’re no-one too...” he said.

“Oh stop being cryptic.” Red Cross spun his spear over his head, flames licking along it’s length. “Flare Blitz!“

He hurled the spear but it struck manhole cover where No-one had once been. Streams of Black Water erupted in turn from storm drains up and down the street. The fountains of infectious blackness coated buildings, walkways, seeped in through still open windows and hardened to form a thick canopy.

“Sooo…” Green Cross looked up into the dome. A black landscape. A dark world. “That’s new.”

Blue Cross stretched his hand out and tried to use his magi powers as an extra sense. “It’s in the water course. I can’t feel any pure water anywhere!”


A doctor knocked at Capt. Moses’ office door, breaking her from wondering how the rangers were faring.

“Doctor Zamora,” she greeted. “How are things going on your end?”

“We’ve broken the deadlock on the community centre bunker. Ken Powell was right, Bryant’s men were keeping a secret project down there.”

“Well? What is it?”

“You’re not going to believe this, Captain, but…” He seemed to struggle to comprehend it himself, the ridges on his brow said it all. “It’s a giant humanoid robot. I knew he was going crazy but this is a whole new level of paranoid.”

“I don’t know, Doctor.” She placed her signature of the form she was filling in and slid it to the side of her desk. “Some specialised heavy artillery might have been useful when we fought against the Howlerdillo.”

“Granted,” he replied. “But honestly this wasn’t what I came here to talk to you about, well, it’s sort of related, but-”

Evidently Zamora wasn’t a confident man, so she prompted him to continue with a smile.

“I’d like to officially request permission to start a project of my own. New base, new administration, new progress and all that.”

“Go on.”

“I’ve been thinking about our options as a defense organisation, you see, and well, we’re rather limited to our troops and a five - or six - man band of superheroes… and none of us can be in two places at once.” He pulled a sheet of paper out of the clipboard folder he carried in perpetuity. It gave detail on exactly what he was requesting. “Given my work on the Cross Weaponry, I see no reason why I can’t replicate that in an entirely new combat system.”

“You want to make new ranger powers?” There was no doubt about it, the sheet of paper was the blueprint for a single prototype ranger suit.

“Precisely.”

The science behind what he was proposing truly boggled her mind--teleportation of materials over long distance, the precise calibration… the power source?--so she push it to one side. The doctor was right, it would have been nice to have a little more help when it came to fighting evil.

“How long will it take?”

“I believe I can have the prototype up and active in a year excluding unforeseen circumstances. To outfit an entire team with suits like these would take considerably longer. This is about as experimental as the field gets, you understand.”

She nodded. “Alright then, doctor, but you have complete control and responsibility for this. All I ask is that you file a weekly report with me so I know where the money’s going. No visible results and I’ll shut it down, okay?”

Doctor Zamora grinned like a child on christmas day. “You won’t regret this.”

“Oh and uh Zamora?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t forget to tell someone I want that robot ready for action as soon as possible.”

He paused, wondering what threat on Earth would require a retaliation like that. “Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

Reluctant to agree, he nevertheless bowed his head and left.

Incursion Twenty Three: Dome

The Cross Rangers stood at the centre of a domed, pitch black landscape of No-one’s creation with no way of contacting the outside.

“I’m sure the evac teams we had out there would have checked in with HQ by now,” said Yellow Cross. “Either they break us out or we find a weakness and do it ourselves. Yeah?”

White Cross took a few tentative steps forward to examine the manhole No-one had disappeared down. “Whatever we do we need to find No-one.”

“If he hasn’t escaped already,” added Blue Cross.

“I think there’s something a little more important to address…” Green Cross tightened his grip on his freshly summon land hammer. “Why the hell did he trap us here?”

“Why does he do anything?” said White Cross. “Let’s take a look around.”

Down the main road, they passed the cafe and stopped at the intersection where it crossed Paradise Street. From the tiny park on the corner of the two streets, they could see all the way to the far boundaries of the Black Water bubble.

At least the entire area was deserted. White Cross was glad she didn't have to worry about how many people could die from her missteps and hesitations. Still, she couldn't help but think back to the farce of the refugee camp. She had to trust Catherine’s people had done their job properly.

She wouldn't have doubted a few mistakes during a regime change after all.

Thankfully, as they probed further around the bubble’s interior, the area seemed devoid of people.

Blue Cross hung back as they started a sweep of the dome wall itself. He stared up into the parabolic curve, up and up to it’s apex. Though it seemed smooth and unbreakable, he wondered something.

“What if we just hit it with a Blitz? Brad and I have cleaned up Black Water that way before.”

The green ranger hefted his hammer on to his shoulder in a ready position. “Worth a go... Earthquake Blitz!”

He leaped forward with a baseball like swing and cracked the hammer against the bubble wall. Energy snaked and thundered away across the thick skin shaking walls and foundations… making not even a dent.

“I was thinking something water clan,” Blue Cross chuckled.

“Fine.” Green Cross pulled back and hauled the hammer back over his head.

“Riptide Blitz!” they roared in unison.

As Blue Cross pulled the blaster’s trigger, the green ranger swung his own weapon. Twin jets of fast moving water surged forward splashing against the wall. But rather than crack it began to ripple and seethe and roil.

“That’s different...”

“Did it... absorb the impact?”

A mass accumulated at the very centre of the disturbance.

At once, they figured out what was happening.

“Nope... hit the deck!” shouted Red Cross.

They hit the ground just as the mass roared through the air where they’d not long been standing.

The mass grew and bubbled up into a familiar humanoid shape, but instead of resolving into No-one the mass formed wings, a snout, and dagger claws. The monster looked like a cross between a bulky human male, a humongous bat, a wolf and a feline.

It’s howl chilled the rangers to the bone.

Green Cross shuddered. “Do you think maybe that’s why No-one trapped us?”


“Captain Moses,” said Cadet Ferris, calling Catherine’s attention to the war room’s central map. She added a representation of the dome. “Reports are coming in of a large dome of hardened Black Water across the intersection of Main and Paradise. The rangers are trapped inside.”

At that moment, Catherine decided to make a stand. “Cartwright. You’re in charge here until I get back.”

Ferris piped up with a small voice. “Ma’am?”

“You heard.” She could either give in to the paperwork or she could delegate and do what she was trained for. “I’m leading a team to the outer skin of the bubble, and we’re breaking in. No buts.”


The hybrid flapped it’s wings and leaped into the air.

It swooped, talons bared, aiming for Red Cross’ head. He ducked and the monster lifted itself back into the air.

“Oh come on now, not again...” Blue Cross lifted his blaster and took shots at it.

A pulse of water splashed across its wing. For a moment it looked like everything was over, but the hybrid pulled up out of the spiral and hovered just out of reach.

If ever a creature with the muzzle of a dog could smile, the beast did. It flapped its wings one and soared away over the rooftops on a well-placed warm updraft.

“We’ll split up,” said Yellow Cross.

The red ranger grabbed her arm and held her back. “That’s what it wants. It’ll pick us off one by one.”

“You think you know everything, don’t you Red,” she said. “But who’s the captain here? Who’s the new first officer?”

“That’s not what I meant...”

“Of course not. You, some kid who managed to get in on a military operation without all the hard work and training, you’d never be wrong, would you?”

White Cross stepped in between them and pushed them apart. “Now? You’re doing this now? Horrible timing! Get your heads in the game.”


Catherine and a specially selected team of demolition experts arrived at the outer perimeter of the bubble. Though it was smooth inside, a mess of looping strands of Black Water writhed and crawled and slithered across the outside.

“The damn thing’s alive,” one of the team said without thinking.

Captain Moses tilted her head. What if it was alive? The Black Water had proven it’s sentience in the past, even though it seemed about as inert as a virus otherwise. But was it truly sentient or did it only say and do what they expected of it? Absolute evil didn't exist. Nothing, not even the very worst of humanity, existed to rampage and destroy like No-one and his minions.

She shook the thought away and slipped into her role as commander. “Right. Johnson, set the charges.”

Johnson hauled a case from the APV they’d arrived in and set it down gently at the dome boundary. After a few minutes, and a couple of failed attempts when the dome had absorbed the explosive just as the two touched, he had ten charges of C4 rigged against the base.

And if this doesn't work, she thought. I just have to try myself.

They retreated a safe distance, and Johnson blew the explosives.

For a moment it looked as though the bubble couldn’t take it. It absorbed the energy and spat out the used husks of the C4 along with the wire.

“Okay then that’s enough.” Catherine patted him on the back and summoned her morpher. She shifted straight into her base form.

“Trinity Advent!” A multicoloured light surged from her and splashed across the bubble.

At first it continued to absorb, but as she pushed more and more of power into it the wall seemed to yield. The thick ropes of Black Water sunk back into the surface.

She frowned and shut off the energy wave. The dome remained in it’s inert state.

“Right, you lot stay here,” she said, tentatively putting one foot in front of the other. “Call for back up and surround this thing. I want it totally enclosed. Nothing in, nothing out.”

Even more curious, the dome bowed away from her as she approached. It stretched further and further inward until it burst and reformed behind her.

Johnson and the demo team looked at each other. How could they explain what had just happened?


Exactly as she’d expected the inside of the dome was black, and yet with each step the Black Water peeled back to reveal the natural road surface.

What the hell is going on here? It’s like it recognises me as a threat or something…

She took a deep breath and focused her power into one big burst. She held onto it as long as she could before releasing the final strand of magic. Like an elastic band it snapped away form her, desperate to return to the Earth. It spread in every direction searing away the black ichor, forming an island of normality.

We can use this. If we find the source, they're finished!

“Catherine! Hit the deck!”

Military instinct kicked in and she dropped to the ground. A large pair of talons sailed passed her head.

When she looked up the rangers had formed a protective circle around her. They faced outward with their eyes trained on the skies.

“Long story short,” said Red Cross. “No-one trapped us here. Then let loose some kind of freaky wolf-man-bat... thing.”

“Good to know.” She stood and joined the circle.

The Black Water still peeled away from her, no doubt due to the residual charge.

White Cross saw this but decided to keep comments to herself for now. She couldn't very well go disrupting the mission when she’d not long ago called Rob and Maria out on it.

CrossTrinity spun the roulette dial. When it slowed, it landed on white and her armour’s tribal lines shifted accordingly. “Allison. How ‘bout we join our friend in the air, hmm?”

The white ranger nodded. “That’ll even the score some.”

The other rangers let them from the circle, and watched as they focused their power beneath their feet. Two powerful gusts of wind threw White Cross and CrossTrinity into the air and held them aloft.

The hybrid swooped in around the corner of a building and made a dive straight for them. They split at the last second and rounded on the beast.

“Tornado Advent,” they said in unison.

A tearing wind ripped into the creatures wings and sent it tumbling to the ground not far from the rangers. It attempted to flap them, to get back in the air, but found it couldn’t.

The two rangers regrouped with the others.

“All-blitz?” Red Cross suggested.

CrossTrinity gave him the thumbs up, and they each readied their weapons.

White Cross slashed her swords, whipping up her trademark whirlwind. “Cyclone blitz.”

“Flare blitz.” Red Cross spun his spear above his head, and when he hurled it, it burst into a ball of flame.

“Sonic boom blitz.” With a swing of her tonfas, Yellow Cross loosed two loud blasts of sound.

Blue Cross charged as much energy as he could into his blaster, and unleashed a torrential jet of water. “Riptide Blitz!”

“Earthquake Blitz.” Green Cross slammed his hammer on the ground. The vibrations rumbled toward the hybrid, cracking the concrete as it went.

As each attack slammed into the monster, CrossTrinity felt out into the infinite well and drew in power.

The hybrid writhed on the floor under her teammate’s assault. For once, she wasn’t going to go easy. This time the bastards wouldn’t escape.

“Tri... force... blitz!” She threw her hands forward. The volatile stream of triple-coloured energy seared the air itself as it pummeled into the monster. It exploded and all around them the Black Water retreated, or rather, dissolved under the force of her magic.

The rangers looked at her aghast.

“I didn’t know you could do that,” said Green Cross.

“To be fair, I rarely know what I’m doing until it comes to me,” she admitted. They seemed taken aback that their commanding officer would say such a thing. “What? I’m not winging it. I’m not, I mean... the voices they…”

She trailed off realising how stupid she sounded.

The rangers began to laugh.

“You know, Cat,” said Red Cross. “We know exactly what you mean.”

Incursion Twenty Four: Oblivion

Thanks to the Trinity Clan powers, it didn’t take long to clear the Black Water away from the remains of the dome that had covered about a mile radius of downtown Fort Lowsdale, but no one could say exactly whether they’d got it all.

Catherine sent a task force to work with the local authorities to scour the water course and the sewers for remnant infections.

In trying to keep up with their lives in Fort Lowsdale, the rangers had come across a problem. They couldn’t be in residence at the base, and follow along with their jobs and lives.

Brad had his apartment, his university courses. Ken may have enrolled to keep up appearances, but as far as the university was concerned he was a real student. As much as she enjoyed having support from Catherine’s agency - which the captain had since officially named Strategic Command, or StratCom for short - she couldn’t leave her friends at the camps in the lurch.

Robert on the other hand had been more than overjoyed to forget about finding another job and move back to Steele city. Maria had not taken it well.

She cornered him in the base’s freshly outfitted ready room. “I heard you quit your jobsearch.”

“Yeah, but it was pretty pointless… and considering it takes a hour to get to FL…” He simply shrugged and went back to reading the random copy of national geographic he’d found on the chair.

She lost it. “Are you for real, Red!?”

“Come on Maria,” he said, slapping the magazine down. “I’m trying to focus on the job. Surely you understand that. Don’t see you with a day job.”

“It was only ever a cover, doofus. You amateurs should never have gotten so attached to that life.”

“We’ve been pussyfooting around this for weeks now,” He sighed. “The others look to me in the field for snap decisions, that’s what I’m good at, but if I’m being totally honest I don’t want to command. Not my thing.”

Maria narrowed her eyes at him. “That’s what you’re good at? I would never have guessed you’d have skill in something you’ve never trained for.”

“There is such thing as a natural leader, you know!”

They fell silent. Both stared at the other, trying their best to intimidate, to get them to back down.

Robert shook his head and looked away first. He could see Maria smirking out of the corner of his eye. “Maria, I couldn’t care less if you want to order me around, but in the field you need to give me space.”

She set her jaw and looked down her nose at him. When she spoke it was through her teeth. “I’ll concede to you the field commander position… but I expect you, all of you in fact, to join me for a crash course in basic military training.”

“I don’t want to sign up…”

“I know, Red, I know. You’ll be a civilian with special training. Consultant, special… whatever, I know you understand me.”

A smile spread across Robert’s face. “You’re not bad people, Austin. Not bad at all.”

She frowned, then realised how he’d played her, but by that time he’d already scarpered.

As she rushed to catch up, the bullhorn sounded the alarm. Cadet Ferris’ voice followed. <All rangers to the war room. I repeat, all rangers to the war room. This is not a drill.>

No time to rest around here… she smirked, changing direction for the lifts down the hall.


Maria arrived in the war room just as the others did. They found Captain Moses talking to Cadet Ferris, the central map blinking an incursion signal.

She turned to them. Her face was a picture of seriousness. “This is a big one, guys. It’s looking like No-one, but something’s different. We can’t pin-point exactly what.

“Your priority mission is to deal with No-one, but if you can figure out why his signal is pinging weirdly the way its then…” She looked at Ferris and winked. “Then our Cadet here will love you forever.”

Ferris blushed profusely, glad the rangers scrambled before anyone noticed her.


The signal pointed to a mile wide spread to the port side edge of Olympia park.

When they arrived they found the lake filled to burst with Black Water. If No-one was indeed around here somewhere he was hiding pretty well.

Robert shook his head. “He just doesn’t quit with the high level pollution stuff, does he.”

“Yeah, but thank god that lake is man made and not river fed,” added Allison.

“Speak of the devil…” said Ken.

As though he’d heard them talking about him, No-one rose from the very centre of the black lake and walked across the water to greet them. “It is becoming very easy to get you to come running whenever I fancy.”

Maria rolled her eyes. “If we didn’t, we wouldn’t exactly be doing our jobs.”

No-one stepped onto dry land. “There’s someone I want you five to meet.”

The way he emphasised someone sent a chill up Robert’s spine, this coming from the guy who had a fetish for ‘nobody’ and ‘nothing’.

A second figure rose from waters of the lake and had already made it to dry land before their features consolidated to any semblance of humanity. From a vaguely amorphous humanoid blob, the figure’s waist pinched in severely and it’s hips ballooned out.

The woman, as was clear now, was wrapped in the same bandages at No-one. Her hair hung lank down her back merging into the remains of a black prom dress. In her slender, long nailed hands she clutched a pendent, no a military dog tag, and a gnarled branch turned staff or walking stick.

“Is that...?”

“The lieutenant who tried to pull a gun on Catherine? Yeah...” said Allison.

Ken coughed loudly. “I think I remember saying something about this, like… oh I don’t know… seeing more of her again?”

“Don’t gloat, Ken. You know I hate that.”

No-one twitched and bellowed for silence. When he had their attention he continued, “This is my lovely bride. And unlike you, she is indeed someone. Say hello Oblivion.”

The newest Black Water general, who had once been their opponent as a pure, if ill-informed and bigoted, human being, smiled. Robert hadn’t seen it through the layers of combat fatigues before, but she was beautiful, truly beautiful. It made it all the more painful to know that woman no longer existed.

“But you insects can call me Lady Oblivion,” she said, casting the dog tags aside. Allison caught a glance at them, Lt. Celeste Hennings...

“Oh sure, mustn’t be rude.” Robert raised his eyebrow and twirled a finger by his ear.

“Shall I leave you to amuse yourself, dear?” No-one said to Lady Oblivion.

She twirled her hair, and batted her eyelashes. “If you have somewhere to be...”

“What ever do you mean? I have nowhere.”

“Of course, of course.” Oblivion let out a sigh. She turned her back on him. “Go on then... I have just the thing to squash these pests, anyway.”

“Have fun.” No-one dipped his head in a bow and dove backward into the lake.

Robert rubbed his eyes and blinked. He looked over at his comrades. “That’s... pretty sickening…”

“Oh?” said the ex-human. “I guess I can’t expect you to understand, can I.”

She held out her hand and a small bean shaped blob of Black Water rose out of the skin of her palm. The blob wriggled once, then leaped over her shoulder and somersaulted in the water. Almost instantly, a huge bubble broke the surface with a loud pop. Another joined it, and soon the entire lake looked as though it were boiling.

Lady Oblivion checked her work was done and melted away into the grass.

It didn’t take a genius to realise what came next. Where pools of Black Water were concerned, especially the energetic kind, a monster wouldn’t be far behind.

Sure enough a mass began to form in the centre of the lake. Though small and point like at first it continued to grow and grow straight passed Oblivion or even No-one in height.

Brad looked from the mass to his teammates and back. “We’re in trouble, aren’t we...” It can’t possibly get any bigger…

The mass continued to beyond all expectation until the totality of the lake had drained and it stood higher than the city’s tallest building. It shook it’s entire body to shed the shell of Black Water, revealing it’s true form; a mushroom covered, reptilian behemoth.

“We’re in trouble,” confirmed Ken. Then a thought hit him, a distant memory of his life before becoming a cross ranger. He switched on the comms unit in his helmet. “Base, come in. This is Blue Cross.”

<Ferris here, what’s your report?>

“No-one brought a friend along, and long story short we’re up against something way too big to handle alone.”

<Blue, this is Catherine. When you say big, how big do you mean?>

“Big enough to use a certain piece of equipment… the one that used to be stored under the community centre?”

<What are you talking about->

“Not the time to play dumb, uh, ma’am. Remember why the Agency originally capture me in the first place?”

<How do you know about that?>

“I’m smarter than I look.”

There was silence for a moment, before the radio crackled to life again. <I need you all to morph. I can sync the instructions to your helmet displays.>

“Roger.” Ken clipped the radio to his belt again. “Let’s do it.”

“Cross Form!” they called in unison. Their morphers appeared on their wrists, and shone with magi energy. They swung their arms in opposing arcs and recrossed them over their chests.

Once their helmets had formed over their heads, a stream of data ran across their visors detailing two top secret machines that would almost definitely level the playing field.

As if on cue, the rumbling of engines grew to over power the city’s background noise. A substantial flying machine, like a bulky flying fortress roared into view from the deserts beyond Steele City. It was codenamed the Challenger.

Red Cross, Blue Cross and White Cross followed the instructions they’d been sent and raised their hands as though reaching out to the Challenger. Three beams of light shot from them and connected with the machine. The energy streams lifted them off the ground and teleported them into a spacious cockpit, with space for two more besides the three of them.

“What about us?” said Green Cross.

From the direction of the community centre came the second machine, born through the air on powerful directional rockets. Unlike the Challenger, the Guardian was ground-based; a caterpillar tracked, tank-like vehicle with a pair of cannons along it’s back.

Yellow Cross chuckled and patted him on the head. “That better?”

They repeated the same gesture as their teammates and were transported into two cockpits. Green Cross took up position in the forward facing driving seat, while Yellow Cross found herself in the turret cockpit with the Guardian’s cannons on either side of her.

Just then, the fungus lizard clocked them as it’s opponent and let out an almighty roar.

Blue Cross whooped at his console in the cockpit of the giant Challenger. “I told them there was something fishy about that community centre. Did anybody listen? No. Does anybody ever listen? No. But I knew it!”

“Alright Ken, okay, calm down,” said White Cross. “We’ve got a giant monster to exterminate.”

“In Japan, they call them kaiju, you know,” said Red Cross, not missing a beat.

The blue ranger patted his friend on the shoulder. “That’s interesting… completely beside the point but interesting.”

Though the controls were pretty alien, a tutorial system highlighted the proper process with varying degrees of illumination. Once they got the hang of flying it, the autopilot switched itself off and the Challenger swooped toward the Black Water ‘kaiju’.

“Dude, we've got lasers,” exclaimed Red Cross.

He pressed the red trigger on his joystick and a volley of laser bolts flew from the forward turrets mounted on the Challenger’s underbelly. They hit the lizard in the chest, burning roughly circular patches in its layers of fungus armour.

The monster didn't seem too perturbed by the attack. It stomped toward them across the park.

Meanwhile, Yellow Cross had managed to get a target lock. She slammed her hand down on the launch button and the pair of homing missiles loaded into the cannon’s breach surged forward, arcing toward the monster as it chased down the Challenger.

The missiles struck it in the back, tearing yet more fungus from it’s skin. It roared in pain and turned to see the Guardian, cannons smoking.

Back inside Challenger, White Cross had discovered something interesting in the instructions scrolling across her visor. “It’s not just lasers, Rob. They can combine.” She yanked the monitor above her console around for the others to see.

Red Cross grinned. “Now that’s what I’m talking about!”

The white ranger sent a copy of the instruction directly to Green Cross in the cockpit of the Guardian, then entered the transformation code into her console. The Cross Rangers followed her lead and did the same.

The Guardian engaged a pair of heavy stabilizers. It’s caterpillar tracks locked, and the entire back of machine rose up, pivoting on joints just behind the cockpit. As it split down the middle, two booms with docking mechanisms at one end swiveled up from the back, turning the machine into a pair of legs.

The Challenger fired one last shot at the kaiju and swooped down to dock vertically with the Guardian. Once in place, two shoulder joints extended from the main body. The robot bent at the waist and inserted first one, then the other into sockets on the two cannons. As it rose up one last time the front cockpit of the Challenger flipped down, becoming a chest piece, and revealed the robot’s head; a sleek thing with single silver fin.

“CrossRobo online,” said Red Cross, confirming everything was in working order.

Yellow Cross and Green Cross joined the others in the Challenger’s cockpit and took the positions at the two remaining consoles.

CrossRobo strode confidently toward the giant monster and grappled with it in an attempt to get it off the streets and back into Olympia park. As the mecha wrestled it’s opponent to the ground, the lizard’s thick, muscular tail slammed into the side of a skyscraper, smashing windows and buckling steel. Tons of office equipment slid from the building to the street below.

The mech leaped to it’s feet and levelled it’s arm cannons at the still smouldering, fungus-armoured lizard.

“End of the road, kaiju,” said Red Cross, engaging CrossRobo’s finisher move.

Energy from the Challenger’s power cells was redirected into the cannons. Just as the monster struggled to it’s feet two balls of crackling overloaded laser energy loosed from CrossRobo, incinerating the beast on the spot.


In a cavernous subterranean sewage chamber beneath the city, Lady Oblivion and No-one reformed from their hidden reservoir of Black Water.

He bowed to her. “How did it go?”

She curtseyed in return. “Your friends the Cross Rangers have more firepower than you initially suggested.”

“What?”

“Did you not know they had giant mechanical man to combat my monsters?”

“A giant me-” No-one growled and stepped back into the water. “This complicates matters...”

“Ah, but does it, darling?” she said, stepping into the pool with him. “They can field all the... the mechanical nonsense they want against us, but they won’t ever stop the infection. Will they.”

No-one turned to her as though looking right into her mind. “No… no, they won’t.”


The rangers filled Catherine in on what had happened. Suffice to say everyone present, including Cadet Ferris and the enlisted personne,l bustling about trying to look like they weren’t listening in, were worried.

StratCom already had the destruction of a privately-owned office building to deal with, and very little legal precedence to fall back on. How often did giant monsters and massive humanoid robots duke it out in Steele City…

Or anywhere?

Maria shook her head. “I never thought I’d be thanking Bryant’s regime for anything, but-”

“To be fair,” interrupted Ferris. “The Challenger and Guardian projects were the brainchild of the old R&D department, the General only okay'd their construction.”

All eyes focused on her. “What? I may be new but I like to keep informed…”

“Still,” said Maria. “Without them, the city could well have been destroyed today.” She paused, falling into deep consideration for a moment, before turning to Catherine. “Captain, permission to offer a suggestion?”

“We’re all friends here, Maria.” Catherine chuckled. “Let’s not be so formal.”

“Understood.” She cleared her throat. Robert noticed she still stood at ease in front of her new commanding officer despite having known Catherine since she was the rank below. “I’d like to suggest we form an dedicated engineering detail and attach them permanently to the Cross Machines.”

“Great idea,” she replied. “Can I count on you to liaise with Doctor Zamora on this?”

“Yes, ma’am- I mean… Catherine. I’ll get on it right away, if you don’t mind of course?”

“Go on then, the sooner the better I suppose.”

Maria saluted - old habits died hard - and left double quick. Perhaps she wanted to ensure the Machines would always be ready to launch- just in case - or maybe she wanted to get it sorted quickly and get some down time.

Allison frowned. “I don’t mean to be a buzzkill but... just because we’ve got an increased arsenal… doesn't make the matter any less serious.”

Catherine nodded. “No, you’re right. If creating threats like Lady Oblivion is as easy as kidnapping someone and infecting them, then we might be in big trouble.”

“But wouldn't No-one have created more of these generals, by now,” said Brad. “If it was simple, that is.”

“There’s something we’re missing, that’s for certain,” Catherine agreed. “A secret process or ritual Black Water has observe… but nevertheless we’re more than prepared now.”

Robert wasn’t so sure. It seemed that every time they got an advantage, Black Water leveled the playing field; a stalemate if ever he saw one.

He wondered whether it would be enough to stay on the defensive. Could the six of them, with their giant robot ally and StratCom soldiers in reserve, do enough to protect the people?

He was beginning to realise they needed to do something drastic, or else the world may never get shot of the Black Water plague.


Maria met Sergeant Cartwright a few metres from Doctor Zamora’s lab. The Operations NCO seemed to stand her ground, like a stoic sentinel barring the captain from entry.

“I’m in a rush, Cartwright.”

“How does it feel to be second in command, Austin. I’m just wondering.”

Maria sighed. “I have bigger things to deal with than your misplaced irritation. I’m the officer here.” Almost as soon as she’d said it, regret bubbled up within her psyche.

“This isn't about being an officer or not, but as far as we care the only reason you got XO is by being buddy buddy with Moses.” She stepped even closer to Maria, well within her personal space. “And let’s be honest, how the hell did she get her job instead of you? You must be pretty pissed at getting passed over in favour of a lieutenant.”

“Put it this way Cartwright. I pull double duty. The platoons on base report to me, and I have to deal with all their shit. On top of that, I’m a ranger. Fighting evil day in day out.”

“Oh big woop.” Cartwright rolled her eyes. “I’ve read the reports on magi. The only reason you are where you are today is 1) by accident of birth and 2) because of the power vacuum left by Bryant, filled by your rangers.”

“Those seem like damn good reasons to me.” Maria sidestepped the sergeant and strode to the laboratory door. “Would you like to take my position? The fact is Black Water would chew you up in seconds, and without powers like mine you’d be infected. Just like that. Nothing you could do would stop it.”

“All I ask for is recognition. People like me are the backbone of the military.”

She turned back before entry to face Cartwright. “Deal with your lot, sergeant, because I’m still the ranking officer here. Or would you actually like to face a disciplinary committee?”

In all honesty, Maria hated pulling rank on non-commissioned officers and enlisted. You did not piss off your NCO support staff, not least administration and operations staff like Cartwright. After all, they dealt with your paperwork. A pissed off NCO could easily misplace your sick note or put your name on a random training list ‘by accident’. Maria didn’t begrudge Cartwright for her opinions, or in fact for speaking out and using the chain of command.

Maybe she could chalk it up to the tiredness of trying to get it through Robert’s thick skull that she had experience he could use. She didn’t want to be ‘that guy’, but he needed to learn to listen to the specialists.

It was then that she realised her situation with Robert was no different from her vs Cartwright.

God, I need a lie down...

In the ready room, Ken and Brad sat reading their course textbooks.

Despite needing to be on hand at HQ nearly twenty four hours a day, they’d figured out a way to keep up with their university in Fort Lowsdale.

When it turned out to be impractical to commute after all, Catherine had pulled a few strings for them here and there. Twice a week essential, hard copy work would be mailed to them, and in return they would telecommute for the non-optional lectures. Naturally, that meant a lot of hard work on their part, but it was surely worth it.

Maria peeked in from the corridor and spotted the two of them. She walked over. “You two hiding out on your own again?”

“We have school stuff,” said Ken.

“Oh, sure.” She sat down with them at the table and eyed the bullhorn of the, so far quiet, alarm system. “But wouldn’t you like to get out and do something else?”

Brad narrow his eyes. It sounded suspiciously like Maria was fishing for a very specific answer.

When neither of them made an attempt to reply, she continued. “I mean, I get that university is important for you guys, but, and don’t think I’m being forceful about this, it’s pretty boring running Robert through drills on his own.”

Surprisingly Ken laughed. “How’s Rob doing exactly?”

“Taking to it well, all things considered.”

“All things considered…” He shook his head and smiled. “The dude has been friends with my sister for years now, he hates authority just about as much as she does.”

“Well, I didn’t say it was easy,” Maria said with a shrug. “Infact, I’m pleading with you. Join us, I’ve got Catherine coming down and Allison said she’d pop in when she gets back from the camps. We need the practice.”

Brad closed his textbook. “You mean, we need practice.”

“For prosperity then? The ranks are ... talking, and it’s not great.”

“Let them talk,” said Ken. He folded his arms and leaned back on the chair’s hind legs. “Why would that bother me?”

Maria’s face fell, and Brad knew the joking was over.

“Like it or not, Ken, you four are now part of a military organisation.” She stood. “Yes, the army works with civilians, but you can’t slide by anymore without following a little protocol. I’ve spoken to couple NCOs who are questioning how sensible putting amateurs in charge of national safety is.”

“You heard me, Maria. Why should we care?”

Brad shrunk into his chair. A lot of the time he felt like a minnow in a storm, like the only one who wasn’t angry at everyone, and the only one who didn’t jostle for pole position. Brad didn’t want any of that.

“Do you want to know what happens when your support system stops believing you?” she said. “It can get ugly. If all you have to do is half an hour to an hour of training a day to keep them off your back, then I’d do it if I were you.”

The alarm sounded.

Brad calmly slid his books into his bag and stored it in his locker.

Here we go again.


The rangers arrived morphed at the scene of the incursion signal; a small abandoned warehouse in the city’s soon to be redeveloped, and aptly named, ‘rust belt’.

Inside a woman was waiting for them. She wore a long winter coat and a wide brimmed hat pulled low.

Red Cross played it safe and launched into a well practice schpeel. “I’m sorry miss, but it’s not safe here. Run to the main road. Our people will meet you there.”

The woman started laughing, a pleasant laugh at first, building to a great shrieking cackle. She threw the hat and it soared over their heads like a UFO.

“Oblivion…” White Cross muttered.

“Lady Oblivion,” The Black Water general insisted.

Red Cross found himself snapping. From training to this… he’d certainly sleep soundly tonight. “Whatever. What do you want?”

A subtle click sounded off to the right. Rather worryingly it reminded Yellow Cross of a grenade’s hammer being released.

Instinct kicked in and she dove out of the way. Before she could warn the others, the grenade exploded releasing a noxious cloud of gas. She rolled backwards further to avoid breathing it in as it spread.

Shrouded within the obscuring gas, she heard their spluttering coughs and feared the worst.

Lady Oblivion smirked. “Ha, that was easier than I thought.”

She didn’t see me make the dive!

Indeed the infected ex-human melted back into her component black sludge and escaped through a drain set in the floor behind her.

When the gas cleared, Yellow Cross rushed to her teammate’s aid only to find them unmorphed and sleeping soundly. “At least you’re all breathing.”

She let her armour shimmer away and unclipped the radio from her belt.


Her day didn’t get any easier from then on. Just as soon as they’d lifted the unconscious rangers into four beds in the sick bay, the alarm sounded.

Knowing the situation, Cadet Ferris contacted Maria and Catherine directly.

<I’ve picked up another incursion signal.>

“Report.”

<Well ma’am, it’s looking a lot like Oblivion and a small-fry mutant, only their leaving a whole mess of Black Water in their wake...>

Maria glanced at her comrades, out for the count. Great time to take a nap guys… but don’t worry, I’ve got this.

She turned to Catherine. The Captain merely nodded deferring entirely to her second in command.

“I’m taking my old squad out, Catherine. Want to join us?”

“I’ve got plenty of work to do here but …” She shrugged it off. “You know what? I think I will.”


Minutes later the two captains stood in front of a fully suited up squad of eight veteran soldiers. Under General Bryant’s regime Maria had been kept out in the field as commander during the almost daily incursions. These eight men and women were 'her boys'.

She wasted no time in briefing them. That way none of them had the chance to question her. “I’m sure many of you chat with Staff Sergeant Cartwright, but here’s the deal. Captain Moses and I are still military, through and through. And as your commanding officers, we need something from you.

“Earlier today the Cross Rangers were hit with a powerful sleeping gas. As we speak the enemy is marauding around the city, spreading the infection. If you’re not going to do it for the rangers, you’re damn well going to do it for the civs. And that’s an order.”

Catherine raised an eyebrow momentarily, but quickly squashed any emotion to the back of her mind. She’d never seen Maria get so heated in front of the troops. The captain had always lead by example, as a loyal friend and fellow squadie.

“Sir, yes, sir!” The squad roared.

Perhaps they hadn’t needed coaxing, but Catherine knew Maria; she had to let off steam somehow. Indeed it looked as though the troops agreed with her... in their own way. This was a job and a duty, not for themselves, or their feelings, or their emotions and irritations, but for the people who counted on them to save the day.


Lady Oblivion and her pet monster - an emaciated skeleton of a beast with three heads - laughed as the humans scattered in every direction imaginable. They’d already torn through three blocks of the city, seeding their infection as they went, and were about to push into a forth.

Up ahead was the national train station; the perfect way, Oblivion thought, to disrupt lives. She smiled. “Go my pet. Spread the disease!”

The creature leaped forward on all fours. It grabbed up people who couldn’t run fast enough with it’s wide, gaping jaws, bit into them once and threw them away. The puncture wounds bled black.

Seeing it’s enjoyment, Lady Oblivion moved on toward her goal. She swung her staff at anyone who refused to move quick enough for her liking, great bursts of dark power exploding all around her.

She got all the way to the main entrance of station with very little resistance until two women stood in her way. They both wore the one uniform that angered her more than anything in the world.

“You will get out of my way,” she sneered.

“I don’t think so,” said the smaller of the two. “I don’t get out much anymore, so… put it this way, I’m going to have fun stopping you.” The woman shook out her wrist, revealing a compact, box-like object with a circular dial on top.

The second woman showed little emotion. She pushed up her sleeves, revealing the full extent of the back of her hand wherein glittered a tell tale circular clan symbol.

Lady Oblivion hissed. “Magi!”

“And you’ve met me before,” added the magi with the glowing hand.


Maria crossed her arms at her waist and summoned her morpher.

“Cross form!”
“Clan form roulette!”

Hearing such calls the three-headed beast wheeled around without command and bore down upon them.

Maria swung her arms in wide arcs and recrossed them over her chest. Energy, both red and yellow, surged from the gem set into her morpher and condensed into her half yellow, half orange armour.

Catherine struck the roulette dial against her palm. Her body was covered in CrossTrinity’s base form armour. The wheel lost momentum and clicked to a stop on the red section and the tribal lines on her suit shifted to match. The fire staff appeared in her hands in a burst of flame.

The two rangers dove out of the way of the monster. Yellow Cross threw a sonic boom its way before it could regain its bearings.

Meanwhile, CrossTrinity focused her attention on Lady Oblivion.

“Honestly? I thought No-one was annoying enough, but you just had to crawl of the woodwork and complicate matters, didn’t you?” The two opponents circled each other, both looking for an opening the other refused to give. “Lieutenant Hennings… Celeste. If you’re in there please listen to me. You’re hurting people. Stop this.”

Lady Oblivion quirked an eyebrow. “Seriously? I’m no more and no less than Oblivion. Call me what you like, but the infection cannot be stopped.”

CrossTrinity sighed. “I was hoping you’d stand down, but, if you are that far gone, then…”

She jumped into the air, bringing her staff down on Oblivion in a flaming hammer blow that knocked her flat.

Closer to the station building, Yellow Cross grappled with the monster, trying her best to keep its three snapping heads at arms distance. Wherever she caught flesh, she popped a small concussive blast of sound between it and her palms. Eventually, she managed to knock it away a metre or two.

“Resonance advent!” The low thrum of her attack washed over the monster pinning it in place with layer upon layer of acoustic destruction.

She raised a hand. Her squad leaped from the shadows and trained their guns on it.

She gave the order: “Shoot to kill.”

Where the bullets of semi-automatics lanced through it the resonance field became a jagged, inward pressing, omni-directional wave that shredded the beast outright.

With one opponent down, the soldiers spun to Lady Oblivion and CrossTrinity.

“Hold until you have a clear shot.”

Seeing her pet’s destruction, Lady Oblivion melted into her liquid state. As far as she cared, it didn’t matter whether she stayed or not. No-one would certainly be overjoyed to hear the four block hold they now had on the city.

Before she slid away back into the sewers her voice taunted the rangers. “Do your worst, magi. You’re already too late.”


It may have taken well into the night for the sleeping drug to pass out of their system, but the four rangers woke, refreshed and confused, to find Maria and Catherine by their sides.

“What happened...?” said Ken.

“What happened?” Maria smirked. “The way I see it an operative was in the field without the proper training needed to recognise the signs of an incoming grenade.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “I should have known you’d work in your drills somehow… alright, we’ll join you, right Brad? … Brad?”

The green cross ranger had fallen asleep once more. This time from exhaustion.

Robert sat up in his bunk and dismissed the alarm on his phone. He flopped back down and groaned, hoping, as many do, for just five more minutes. A knock on the door told him that wasn’t going to happen, not today.

He threw on some trousers and shuffled to open the door.

There stood Allison wearing her borrowed gym clothes; lycra shorts and a white tank top with the new StratCom logo on the chest. “I thought you’d be late, so I came to get you.”

“Oh, cheers, how kind of you...” he muttered.

At his request, she went back out into the corridor and closed the door, but continued to talked to him through the wood. “Maria’s gonna have you running laps.”

“Anyone would think she’s the red ranger here,” he called back.

“She’s the captain.”

He joined her in the hallway dressed in his sweats. “She’s a captain.”

“But Catherine doesn’t exactly have time to run training, does she.”

“You’re stating the obvious today.” A chuckle slipped from him.

“Yeah, well… That’s the kind of mood time in.”

Though they didn’t speak after that, grins stuck to their faces with some permanence.

Captain Austin had cleared out an unused storage room to repurpose as a training room, with an obstacle course off to one side and an open space for sprints and so on. Maria, Ken and Brad were already waiting for them inside.

“Here’s a question:” Robert said to Maria. “The military doesn’t do really physical training inside… so why do we?”

She winked. “You’re always telling me how you aren’t military.”

Robert shrugged. It did make sense to have all rangers on base when anything could and often did happen. Certainly saved time in calling everyone to action.

“So come on then,” said Robert. “What are we doing this morning?”

“Strength and cardio.”

The four of them let out a collective groan.

Brad hung his shoulders. “Aww, not strength and cardio…”

Those three words meant only one thing. A round of push-ups, pull-ups, crunches, lunges, followed by about thirty minutes of running. Seperately? Doable. Together? Hell.

And then they had to repeat it. Multiple times.

Ken threw his arm around Brad. “Put it this way, mate. The more we do this, the easier it’ll get.”

“I’d really rather it be easy now.”

“Alright,” Maria interrupted. “Warm up time.”


Two hours later, Robert, Ken, Allison and Brad collapsed into chairs in the ready room, their bodies on fire.

Maria, who often trained alongside them instead of just calling the shots, had already showered, dressed in her uniform and moved on to her other duties.

“Honestly, I don’t know how she does it,” said Brad, massaging his aching calves. “Energiser bunny or what.”

“She’s a... bunny?” Ken jabbed him in the side with his elbow. “You sure that’s what you meant?”

“You know exactly what I - Okay I’m way too tired to do this right now.” He slumped back, his head thudding heavily against the drywall. He jumped forward, but breathed a sigh of relief when he realised he hadn’t dented the plasterboard.

Allison sighed. If this was what soldiers went through to serve their country, then she had a new found respect for them. She’d always questioned how clever it was to put yourself at risk for causes that your own government may well have been lying through their teeth about.

Maria had really stepped it up this morning though. Was training more important than strategy? Well that was million dollar question but the way Allison’s entire being was burning suggested a certain Captain Austin had made the decision for them.

After a while Allison remembered what she been excited about before training had side tracked her. “We’ve got leave today, guys!”

“Well, the rest of you might,” Ken’s face fell. “but me and Brad have to use it to show up for an exam in good old FL.” He hesitated, took a deep breath and continued. “You still think of going home?”

“Yeah...”

Home meant only one thing: their uncle, their legal guardian, who had effectively disowned them. They’d told him they were going to be gone for a while for a ‘training retreat’ with a view to joining the Agency. As expected, he flipped and said he never wanted to see them again.

Back then it had been a lie, a cover to allow them to pursue their duty as cross rangers. What about now? Now they were more a part of the military than they ever were. The lie had come true in every way but the rank and the title.

Nevertheless, Allison couldn’t stand to think of her uncle sitting alone in his chair, watching reruns and wondering what went wrong, feeling like he’d disappointed his late sister (their mother) or dirtied her memory.

No matter what happened, no matter what she had to do to prove herself, she promised herself they’d reconcile.

Robert, bless him, spoke up. “Well, I’m thinking of seeing my folks too.” He knew all about the Powel’s problems with their uncle, but must have wanted to lift the mood some how.

Weirdly?

It kind of worked.


Allison’s uncle’s house was in a neighbourhood called Castle Dale - consisting of part semi-detached three bedroom houses and part-council owned properties. Robert’s parents lived a few roads down.

They’d hitched a lift in one of the old, black Agency cars together but Allison had quickly taken her leave. She was beginning to feel more and more apprehensive of what was about to happen, and didn’t particularly fancy showing weakness in front of Robert.

He complained, he worried, but at her insistence he let it be and head off in the direction of his childhood home.

She found herself stood at the mouth of the cul-de-sac, her uncle’s house staring her down from the far end, unable to make her feet move. What would he say? Moreover, what would he do? He wasn’t a violent man and he’d never raised a hand to them. Stern yes, but more from the perspective of a worried guardian trying to live up to his own high standards.

He’d never married, and never had children of his own. So when his sister and brother-in-law met their end during the devastating initial attacks by the Black Water, lumping him with their kids… Allison felt for him. She could sympathise with how tough it must have been suddenly having to figure out how to look after someone other than yourself.

Allison snapped out of her reverie when a car shot past forcing her on to the pavement. It sailed onto the house’s drive, the handbrake ratcheting on in a hurry. A woman and two young, blonde children, a boy and a girl, jumped out and went up to her uncle’s door.

He welcomed them with open arms, picking the kids up in turn and spinning them around.

Allison’s mouth fell open. Suddenly she felt exceedingly angry.

That slimy, little sod! How dare he kick us out? How dare he replace his own damn family with younger, cuter models?

With that same head of steam, she charged up to the bottom of the drive. The mystery family had gone inside by this point. She could see them through the window, laughing and playing like a real family. First, jealously smothered her anger, then embarrassment crept in at the sides. She took a good long look at herself and realised what she was doing.

Creeping around an estate peeping through a window at a happy family, wishing she had one herself.

But when did this happened? How had he found the time between reruns?

A new emotion barged the others out of her brain. Paranoia. What if he’d waiting for the tiniest chance to kick them out so his bit on the side could move in?

Are we that embarrassing?

Without realising, her uncle had come to the door. He stared out at her, arms crossed and eyebrows knitted in anger.

“What are you doing here, Allison?”

Her own anger muscled its way back to the forefront. “What do you mean ‘what am I doing here?’ What are you doing in there with those, those strangers?”

“Contrary to popular belief, I have a life outside looking after you and your brother,” he replied curtly, adding, “I notice he didn’t have the balls to show up, by the way.”

Well, if that wasn’t just the final straw.

“He’s sitting an exam, you arse. At university. Remember when you said he’d never make anything of himself, that he’d buy himself a shed some day and hold weekly conspiracy meetings?”

The mother of the blonde children, blonde herself of course, appeared behind him. “What’s with the shouting, babe? Who is this?”

Allison couldn’t help herself. She knew she should have kept calm. She knew she should think about what she was going to say, but she couldn’t. “I’m the niece he’s obviously never told you about.”

Her uncle stepped the side, flattening himself against the rank of shoes lining the wall, so his new love could pass. She glided down the drive and came to a stop with her hands on her hips.

“Allison. Tom has told me all about Ken and yourself. So, I’m sorry to disappoint and pull that rug out from under you, my dear, but he actually speaks very highly of the two you.” She sighed and crossed her arms. “I’d ask you to come in, but frankly I don’t think you deserve it the way you’re running on.”

No one had spoken to her like that in a long time. Not since…

She hung her head and toed the ground, and for a moment believed that she’d been the one in the wrong.

“Hang on, just let me say something. I think it’s pretty awful what Uncle Tom is doing to us. I don’t want to feel like a failed experiment, or prelude to his life with you and your children.”

The woman nodded even though she didn’t reply, perhaps feigning solidarity with her man for appearances sake. She held out her hand and pulled Allison in for a hug. “My name is Johanna, and I need you to know that you are not a prelude. Okay?”

A great shattering of glass came from the house, and the girls turned to see an empty door and a smashed front window.

They dashed inside to find the place completely vacant. “Uncle... Tom?”

Johanna stepped into the lounge for a moment. When she returned her face was wan and blanched. “My children are… they’re not…”

Their faces must have matched, because Allison had a horrible feeling she knew what had happened, and an even worse feeling that she’d brought it on them herself.

“I’m sorry, but… there’s something I have to do. I’ll be right back.”

“What?” She frowned. “Wait, where are you going?”

Allison bit her lip and ran.


Robert had called ahead. So, naturally, when he arrived at the house he found the entire extended Lam family assembled in the back yard. At times like these he wished he had a less overbearing family.

“Hey!” roared his father, as booming and effervescent as always. “There’s our hero!”

Robert cringed.

What followed was every relative you could possibly imagine, no matter how distant, wishing him well, telling him how proud they were of him doing something about the incursions and saying how terrible it is and how John next door lost his entire family to some ungodly hell beast and..

And the whole time Robert felt like a liar.

A hero? He wasn’t a hero. A hero wouldn’t lie to his family. He wouldn’t cheat his way through life. He wouldn’t shy away from recognition. Sure, he wouldn’t seek the attention but he’d be man enough to do what had to be done...

Nevertheless, he wondered why he hadn’t done this sooner.

He’d spent so much time flying under the radar, working in some stupid restaurant and putting up with the bureaucracy and despotism of General Bryant, that even if his family thought he was one of the poor sods on the front line, with only a semi-automatic and no chance at a future the moment the Black Water rolled over them, instead of the Red Cross Ranger… well that was just fine.

It felt good.

After a while he found himself lulled into a false sense of security, as though the past several months hadn’t happened and this was just any old get together. So when Allison bombed into the yard from the side gate wearing an expression he come to know all too well, it took him a moment to grasp the situation.

“Rob,” she panted. “I think… I think Black Water kidnapped my Uncle and his girlfriend’s kids.”

“I didn’t know he had a girlfriend…”

“Robert!” she screamed, practically on the verge of crying.

“Alright, alright, the kidnapping, sheesh.” He turned to look at his family, trying to figure out what he’d say and whether ‘military emergency’ was a decent enough explanation.

It was just then that he saw a shadow clad being disappear into the deep shadows behind the hundred year old oak tree at the very back of the garden.

“What the h-”

Robert turned to Allison realising his mother and father were missing. “I’ll bet you actual money that’s what happened to your uncle.”


Back at HQ they explained the situation to Catherine and Maria.

The order went out to recall Ken and Brad from Fort Lowsdale. By a stroke of luck of luck they’d just finished their exams and, as a ‘sitrep’ stated not minutes later, were in a helicopter on route.

“Well? Did you see his face?”

Allison shook her head. “I never saw the actual event, I was … indisposed... I guess.”

They turned to Robert somehow expecting better from him. “Sorry, all I got was a human shaped shadow disappearing into, well... the shadows.”

“Like a ninja?” said Cadet Ferris from her console at the incursion signal system.

Robert replied regardless of the looks of derision she gained from the others. “No... Honestly, it was like the guy actually became darkness.”

“It could be Oblivion,” suggested Allison. “How much do we actually know about her?”

For a while he’d thought the same, but it didn’t quite add up. “When have Black Water ever attacked us so personally though?

“Their MO is more about spreading their infection, yes, but they’ve pulled the wool over our eyes before,” said Maria.

Cadet Ferris raised her hand in politeness, and drew their attention with a small cough. “What time did you say the kidnappings took place exactly?”

“No more than forty-five minutes to an hour ago, why?”

“Well... only I’ve been here since alpha shift started at 8am, and there’s not been a single incursion signal.”

If there wasn’t a signal then that meant only one thing. The situation carried no meta-level threat, and by law that meant, as a purely human incident, this wasn’t a case StratCom could legally take.

Catherine covered her eyes with her hand. “If we can’t prove this is something more supernatural than some nut job nabbing people at random, I can’t allocate any resources to this.”

Robert reeled back. “Are you shitting me?! Our family’s are missing and you choose now to follow the rules.”

“Red, the SCPD can handle this as well if not better than us,” said Maria, placing a hand on his shoulder. “It’s their job.”

He shrugged her off.

Allison jumped to her longest friend’s defence before he could land himself in any trouble. “That’s not good enough. I believe Robert when he says this can’t be a normal kidnapping. At the very least, you should let us gather some more evidence!”

Around the war room, staff stood aghast at the sight of someone calling out their commanding officer and seemingly getting away with it.

Then again, Catherine wasn’t exactly your ordinary commanding officer. “Okay then,” she said curtly. “I’m sure the boys will want to join you when they get here.”

With that, she excused herself and disappeared into her own adjacent ready-room-come-duty office.


Once reunited with her brother, Allison voted they begin their search before the trail went cold.

“How do we know there’ll even be a trail?” said Brad, pulling on his StratCom uniform jacket. “Sorry to state the obvious there…”

When all three of his teammates shot him a look that said ‘suggest that again and we’ll break your legs’, he backed off and mimed zipping his lips and throwing away the key. He couldn’t resist one last comment however. “What are we going to do?”

Ken sighed. “Probably best to revisit the scene of the crime.” Could his day get any rougher? From cardio, to finals, to yet more family tragedy in the space of one long morning.

Robert grabbed his radio to tell Catherine the plan, if she’d listen. Perhaps it had been a little over the top to question her in front of her subordinates.

<Understood> she replied. <Good luck, rangers. Call if you need me.>


They started at Uncle Tom’s house.

Johanna answered the door almost as soon as Ken’s fist wrapped upon it. When her eyes fell on Allison, the rage visibly built up in her, painting her face red from bottom to top at the gall of her returning after the runner she’d pulled earlier. Johanna had to double take when she saw the uniforms, and the boys accompanying her. One she knew as Ken, the others she wasn’t sure about.

“I’ll have to make this short. There’s not much time,” said Allison, nearly barging in through the door. “I don’t know if Uncle Tom said what I do, but my teammates and I need to look around the house.”

Their uncle’s girlfriend stepped aside, more out of shock than acceptance of what was happening.

Predictably the only signs of a struggle were the broken window, snapped coffee table and toppled bookcase; not a supernatural clue in sight. Robert and Brad ducked outside to check the front yard, saying something about the sun and angles.

Ken and Allison stayed behind with Johanna. No one spoke for a good few seconds until the frustration built in Allison to the point of rupture. “It doesn’t even matter what you think of me, or us, we’ll bring them all back, alright?”

The woman opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it at the last second.

After breathing a sigh of recognition, she spoke. “I believe you.”


Their next stop was the Lam’s place.

It took a good few minutes to introduce everyone considering the entire family was still there, all of them crammed into the tiny front living room. Thankfully they managed to impress the urgency of the situation before anyone started enquiring about ranks and Robert had to lie again.

Nanny Lam followed the rangers into the back garden, along with Robert’s uncles and cousins and pointed to a spot next to the half decimated buffet table.

“I was only standing there, you see. One minute my darling boy was here, and the next … poof! Into thin air.” Her word came out with heaving sobs, until eventually she broke down and someone had to take her back inside.

An uncle accompanied the rangers to the oak tree further down the garden. He seemed to wrestle with a thought for a few seconds, his brow furrowed in concentration trying to find the right wording, before he finally spat it out. “So, why is the military involved in this? I thought this StratCom thing was meant to be for monsters and stuff only. You don’t think-”

Brad stepped forward to field the answer. “Sir, allow me.” The others had been through too much to deal with such questions. “Our commander is doing us a favour letting us investigate. While it’s probably nothing, you can’t be too careful these days, can you?”

“Hmmm,” he said with a fairly aggressive nod. “I see your point.”

Returning from his circuit of the tree, Robert turned his attention to his uncle. “Hey, John, do you think you guys could go back inside for a bit? This is kind of official business an’ all.”

“Oh, uh, yeah. I suppose so…” Uncle John looked pretty dejected, but seemed to agree. “Don’t hesitate to yell if you need any help.”

With everyone gone - though still peering out of the windows trying to sneak looks at Robert their grandson, nephew, and cousin - the rangers could talk frankly.

“I don’t even know what we’re looking for.” Robert threw his arms in the air in frustration. “There’s not a speck of Black Water anywhere.”

“Looks like Ferris was on to something...” said Allison.

Robert circled around to the back of the oak once again, looking first to the back fence and then at the tree’s roots. Who else could it have been if not Black Water? So far only they and the Order had exhibited the power of teleportation. And then there were the shadows, which he now realised were rather unnatural for the time of day.

What am I missing here?

Before he could do anything else, something tackled him from the direction of the oak tree. The shadow-clad figure tucked and rolled, then sprung into a sprint for the house.

Out in the open and in full sunlight there was certainly no mistaking it.

A ranger.

For a moment they thought Bryant had regaining his magi powers. Quickly saw that, while the ranger’s armour was indeed black, it was nearly seamless with no additional colours or highlights. His belt was but a sash of black cloth. Equally black leather pads sat upon his shoulders and the visor of his helmet was thin and tinted red.

And sure enough upon his forehead was the darkness clan symbol.

With a split second of concentration, Robert summoned his spear. After everything that had happened so far, he didn’t care if his family saw.

He threw it, catching the shadow magi longways in the back of the knees.

The ranger crumpled to the ground, finding the four on top of him before he had the chance to stand.

“Who are you, and what have you done with our relatives?” Robert roared, mere inches from the magi’s helmet.

“I had hoped to finish the job, before moving on.” The rangers voice was deep and as rough as gravel. “Get off me and I shall tell you my business here.”

“Why should I?!” Flecks of spittle flew from Robert’s mouth as he shouted.

“Because my issue is not with a fellow magi, but the organisation that seeks to use you.” A sudden rush of strength filled Cross Shadow. He threw Robert clean off him, knocking Ken and Allison over in the process.

The ranger jumped to his feet and began to weave shadows around himself. “All will be explained in time, but for now tread carefully. Your family will be with you again in no time.”

He made a swift arcane gesture and slid into the pool of shadows.

“What just happened?” ask Brad. “I thought the Order couldn’t find any more rangers?”

Robert had no answers. For a few seconds he even slipped into a shock-induced trance, but when he came to he said, “Bryant’s darkness powers must have jumped to the next ancestor in line.”

“But how did he get so good in such a short time?”

Ken had a point.

“No rookie magi could have come up with that shadow jumping stuff,” said Allison. “The general certainly never did.”

It was that moment that Robert’s aunt and uncle chose to come looking for an explanation. They stood on the threshold of the house part way between angered, amazed and awestruck.

Robert stared right at them back. For the moment, he felt like being defiant. What was the point of keeping a secret identity when it got in the way of beating the bad guys?

On the other hand, what was to stop Black Water, or any other group for that matter, coming after their family every other week if the public knew he was the Red Cross Ranger.

He shifted the spear back his back and sent it back to base.

“Robert?” His aunt sidled up to him, wringing her hands. “What just happened? Who… what exactly do you do for the military?”

He realised through it all that she wasn’t just scared, but terrified.

How could he come out and say it when her knowing could bring more pain upon the family than it already had? Instead, he reached out and hugged her. “I can’t tell you. If you knew -”

Uncle John interrupted and finished the sentence for him. “If we knew bad things could happen that are out of your control.” The glint of pride in the man’s eyes told Robert all he needed to know.

His uncle continued: “What ever this is, Rob, you catch the guy and you bring Alan and Lucille back to us. You don’t have to say anything besides, and we won’t say a damn thing.”

Robert shook his hand and waved goodbye to the remainder of his family. Damn right, he would find them. Damn right, he would bring Cross Shadow in for what he’d done.


The rangers got back into the black car and the driver assigned to them set off for HQ.

“What are we going to do now?” said Brad.

“We need some help on this one,” Allison replied after a while.


Catherine slid the documents she had finished signing back into their respective project folders. She’d discovered a perfectly proportional relationship in her workload; the more the Black Water spread, the more paperwork seemed to land on her desk.

No one said it would be easy. Every so often one of the lower ranks would file some documents for her to looked over and put her final signature on. Forget the infection, she wondered whether this was how General Bryant lost it.

A black gloved arm seized her around the throat and dragged her out of her chair.

By the time she managed called out for help, not a second later, the scene had already changed. The wood in her desk and shelves appeared to shift seamlessly into the bark of a densely packed forest. The veil of shadows receded. She’d hardly noticed them set in.

Five other people, civilians no less, were tied to trees nearby; two men, a woman, and two young children. All were unconscious apart from the little blonde girl. A amorphous mass of living shadow tied Catherine to her own tree before dissipating.

She couldn’t see their captor anywhere, but kept her voice low all the same. She hissed to get the girl’s attention. “Hey. Yeah, you.”

The child, who couldn’t have been more than five years old, raised her head and looked at her with bloodshot eyes. “Who are you?”

“Hi there. My name’s Catherine.” She tested the restraints. It felt like rope, but held much stronger and tighter. “What your’s?”

“Lilly…” She sniffed. “Where’s my mommy? Why’s everyone sleepy?”

Well how could anyone answer that? “Don’t worry Lilly. I’ll get us out of her.”

She attempted to summon her morpher, but found her connection to the power simply didn’t exist. That can’t be right. She frowned and tried again to much the same effect.

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” said a deep gravelly voice from behind her tree. “But you will find that quite impossible. I’ve use my magic to seal your powers.”

“Come out where I can see you!”

The kidnapper compiled, all too easily perhaps. Catherine’s eye spasmed when the all-black ranger moved into her line of sight. She heard him sigh audibly through his helmet.

“I was saddened to learn that a magi sat at the head of the beast, subjugating her own kind, forcing them to certain doom.” He stepped closer, until his thin, dark red visor fell inches from her face. “How do you live with yourself?”

“What are you talking about? I do what I do to save the world.” Given the abilities he’s demonstrated so far, this ranger must have pledged allegiance to the darkness clan. “Who could fight the Black Water if not magi warriors?”

He didn’t see fit to answer her directly, instead he dodged the question entirely. “Do you recognise these people, subjugator? Usurper? They are here to prove a point, albeit a crude one I’ll admit. They are because of your actions alone.”

Catherine growled in frustration and pulled against her bonds. “You’re delusional.”

“Am I? If you say so…”

The noise of their conversation had woken the other captives, the young boy started but one look from one of the men seemed to calm him some, especially when he saw his sister, the blonde girl.

The dark magi turned to them. They seemed to recognise him, yet through fear rather than anything else. “This is the deal. If you stand down, let the magi govern themselves, I will release these hostages.”

“And what if I don’t?”

He summoned a jagged-edged axe and hefted it above one of the men’s heads. “You must know how this works.” He let the weapon fall back onto his shoulder. “I’ve been watching those you call rangers. Yes they fight the evil plaguing your time, but at what cost? The blue and green rangers take time from their education to serve this cause.

“The Red and the White magi are perhaps the most tormented by the life your army forced them into. They lie to their parents and, dare I say it, to themselves. Is that not proof enough?” He gestured to her fellow prisoners.

She realised who they were then; Robert’s parents, Alan and Lucille, and the Powel sibling’s Uncle Tom. About the children on the other hand, she had no idea.

“Free the magi from their slavery and I shall free these four,” he said.

A plan flashed through Catherine’s mind. It would have to do. “Look, whoever you are. What ever do you think gives you the right to make demands of me? Don’t you recognise me?”

“If this is intimidation, I’m not impressed. The magi of this era are quite pitiful. We used to be akin to gods!”

“Release me and say that!”

Their captor chuckled. “Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

She spat at his feet. If he lost his cool, she hoped he might slip up and make a fatal mistake. “At least we have more honour these days.”

“Honour? The emperor used to speak of honour...” He drew himself up to his full height and popped the bones in his neck. “My tribe didn’t agree. What use are the abilities bestowed upon us if we limit ourselves to some pointless code of conduct? Does the tiger cut off it’s own claws?”

“I think you’re scared of what’ll happen when your seal brakes.”

“Scared?! I’m a Shadow Warrior.”

“Then prove your might!”

For a second he seemed to consider taking her up on the offer. He paced back a metre and folded his arms. In that moment, Catherine felt an invisible force crack her bonds. The shadow ranger noticed immediately. The rope made of his own shadow energy had been snapped by a force outside his control.

Her link to the power snapped back in place like a television turned off standby. She flexed her magic by summoning her morpher.

The rogue magi dropped to his knees. “You’re the...”

“Lady of the Trinity? Or perhaps you’d prefer to call me your majesty?”

“Empress!” He bowed, jamming his helmet into the leaves and mud at her feet.

“I hate pulling this card on people,” said Catherine. She made her morpher disappear. “Let these people go. They’ve done nothing to deserve this punishment.”

He complied, and without a twitch of muscle on his behalf, their ropes slackened.

Monks of the Order slid from the shadows and took the prisoners to safety. They disappeared back through their glimmering portals of light.

Four of the Cross Rangers - Maria, Robert, Brad and Ken - replaced them, striding from the very same portals before they slammed shut.

The fifth, Allison, marched from behind the tree, a ripping wind circling her fists.

Catherine hopped down from the raised platform created by the tree’s extensive root system.

“Your goal is just, sure, but you’re going about it all wrong.” She crouched down by the prostrate magi, and lifted his head from the mud. “I don’t subjugate these five. Regardless of the past, as far as I care we’re all equals when it comes to beating evil back where it came from.”

Suddenly Cross Shadow lunged forward, driving his shoulder into her stomach. He sprung to his feet from the resulting roll and picked up his axe in one smooth motion.

Allison helped Catherine to her feet.

“Let’s be honest with ourselves,” the shadow magi said. “All these rules and regulations... how are you supposed to do your job when you can’t even sanction a son searching for his missing parents?”

Robert faltered. The rogue magi’s words had struck a nerve.

“It’s not someone else’s problem. It’s everyone’s. The more you hold them back the more they’ll want to break free of you.”

Catherine too felt his words ring true. Just look what happened with Bryant when he held us back?

“I want you to tell me one thing however,” Cross Shadow said, holding up a small, carved tesserae-like object. Carved on it’s surface was the unmistakable form of the darkness clan symbol. “How is it you’re even able to command your armour without your clan ru-?”

Before Cross Shadow could finish his sentence, a lance of solid black ichor pierced his heart and he crumpled to the dirt. He clutched at the wound, gasping for oxygen. The clan rune almost tumbled from his hands, but the magi clamped down on it, protecting it with the remainder of his life as he'd vowed to do.

They spun to see a quill-backed Black Water monster lower it’s tail, a pleased grin plastered across it’s twisted face. “He talk too much.”

“He was just getting useful!” Allison roared. All the emotions built to a fever pitch with in her. Right then she made a vow to herself. No more would she leave things to the mercy of the laws of chaos and entropy. No more would she exist within a whirlwind of bad upon worse.

It was time to take control.

Without even summoning her morpher, her magi power burst outward and shifted her into the trademark white-and-gold armour. A jet of wind lifted her from the floor and flung her toward the monster.

Distracted by its own ego, the quilled beast took her to the stomach in a full body tackle. Her fists rained down upon it. Blow after blow after blow after…

Joined by the others, Ken rushed forward to pull his sister away from monster before she did any lasting damage to herself. “Allison! Revenge isn’t the answer.”

“It’s a monster, just morph and help me.”

Robert shrugged. “She’s got you there.”

The four remaining core ranger morphed into their armour with a resounding call of “Cross Form!”

Catherine looked down at the dying shadow ranger and hesitated.

Brother Edwards, a monk of the Order, appeared beside her. “Don’t worry, we’ll deal with him. You help the rangers defeat the monster.”

She nodded and, without a second thought, raised one arm to the sky and thrust the other to the dirt. He morpher shimmered onto the skyward wrist. “Clan form roulette!” Catherine brought her arms together, striking the morpher’s circular dial along her forearm. As it spun her body shimmered and turned into her gray lined base form.

Not waiting for the dial to decide, she ranked up with the rangers.

“Fire and Metal; Red Cross.”
“Water and Lightning; Blue Cross.”
“Air and Light; White Cross.”
“Earth and Water; Green Cross.”
“Sonic and Fire; Yellow Cross.”
“Head of the nine magi tribes. The magi empress… CrossTrinity.”

“Magi Tribe… Cross Ranger!” they finished in unison.

The dial on CrossTrinity’s morpher clicked over to red and her armour shifted accordingly. She glanced at Red Cross and Yellow Cross and nodded.

The three rangers took a single step forward out of the line up and blasted the quilled monster with a triple flame advent.

It burst from the fire wall, spines burning from the attack, and dove straight in among them.

As she rolled out of the way CrossTrinity spun the dial a second time. She ducked beneath the monster’s fist once, then twice. The dial spun slower and slower. She shoulder barged the beast to put some distance between them.

Just then the dial clicked over to white. The shifting of CrossTrinity’s armour called White Cross to her side. The two stretched out their arms, palms facing forward. “Tornado Advent.” Twin whirlwinds surged from their hands and blew the quilled monster off it’s feet.

The ranger’s regrouped.

“Want to do the honours, Catherine?” said Red Cross.

CrossTrinity shrugged. “Sure.”

A swirling of rainbow energy surrounded her fists. She swept her hands through the air and pulled more power from her link to the Earth. “Trinity Advent.” She clapped her glowing palms together and a wave of tricoloured energy collapsed in around the monster.

The energy burned, it singed away at it’s Black Water flesh until the corpses of a man and a long-tailed porcupine fell to the ground.


Once the rangers had defeated the monster, the Order had reappeared to take them back home. As soon as they had stepped from the portals, Cadet Ferris’ voice came over their radios as though she’d been trying to contact them for quite some time. Maria quickly explained what had happened.

The large group decided to split up at this point. Catherine and Maria, along with Brother Gray, would travel back to StratCom HQ with CrossShadow to get him the medical attention he needed.

That left Robert, his parents, the three Powels and the children to return home. Brother Edward agreed to do this alone and drop them off one group at a time.

Robert was thankful the Order had pulled the hostages out before he’d morphed. He could barely figure out how to explain his seemingly magical weaponry to his uncles, aunts, cousins, and other extend family.

This is going to be interesting.


Even though he refused to remove his armour, StratCom medics managed to slow CrossShadow’s bleeding as well as remove the majority of the quill. Nevertheless, the damage was far too extensive to totally stabilize him without better access to his body.

He further surprised everyone by refusing treatment, so they moved to a secure cell.

Catherine was first into the room once the doctors agreed he was fit to be seen.

He greeted her with a bow. “Empress.”

“I’ll make it quick.” She had many questions for him and, she suspected, little time to do so. “What did you mean when mentioned clan runes? You never finished your sentence.”

His voice came out ragged. “Every clan has its own rune.” He opened his hand to reveal the darkness rune he hadn’t yet let go of. “From this we warriors draw out power. Where… are your runes?”

“We don’t have any.” She then remember the glowing symbols that appeared on the rangers hands every time they morphed. Although… “Anyway, what I want to know more is where the hell you came from? The Order has never once come across you during their search”

“Ah.” He took a laboured breath. Even though they hadn’t been talking for long, he’d definitely deteriorated. “Now that is… more difficult to answer.”

“I-” She wanted to say ‘I have all day’, but all things considered. “Just try.”

“I am not of this time, but I suggest that goes without saying.” He coughed, and grabbed his chest in pain. “An entity came to me and told me of an injustice. I never saw it’s face. It spoke to me as a voice in my mind.”

“And it told you to come to our time and kidnap our families?”

“I didn’t take the mission of my own free will. That Temporal Vortex threw me here without waiting for my reply.”

“Let’s just circle back to the real issue there.” Catherine asked him to move his legs, and sat down next to him on the bed. “Why did you kidnap those people?”

“I was told to use my intuition… That I would find magi under oppression, and must do all I could to stop it… something about changing the future…” He attempted to sit up, and pain lanced through him. Though she couldn’t see his face due to his helmet, she knew he was twisted up in pain. “I’m sorry for getting the wrong idea about you.”

“No, don’t,” she said. “Your heart was in the right place. In fact, you may have done more for us in a roundabout way than you think.”

Cross Shadow, if he’d accomplished anything, had gotten them thinking about the nature of their war against the Black Water, in fact, the nature of war itself. To save lives you had to compromise, and you couldn’t save everyone, even if you tried.

“Then you won’t let anyone hold you back from doing what is necessary?” he said.

“Of course not.”

“And… and promise me you won’t order your subjects t-to ignore what matters most to them. Without heart, magi warriors are little more than killing machines.” He paused to take another ragged and stressed breath. “You must not become that which you vowed to destroy.”

“You have my word.” Catherine touched him on the shoulder. “One last thing. Who are you, beneath that helmet?”

He opened his palm flat, the rune sat symbol up. It began to glow. “It is the least I can do after what I’ve put you all through.”

A black energy surrounded him and yet, it seemed weak, faltering, slow. In an instant the light turned a brilliant glittering white, swirling around them like a whirlpool. Just as his armour was about to dematerialise, he fell into the blinding vortex.

It snapped shut behind him.

“Damn it!” Catherine beat her hands against the mattress.

A young officer poked her head around the door. “Are you alright?” she said, Then saw Cross Shadow was missing. “Oh...”

“Yeah.”


In the northern wildernesses of the country, in amongst the mountains and earthworks and forested expanses, an archeological team had set up camp. Although taken root might have been a better word, for they had been on site for months now with no signs of slowing down.

For a long time there had been rumours of interesting archeology in the north, rumours of an ancient civilisation.

The first mention of anything strange had come when a prospector, panning for gold in the mountain streams, turned up innumerable amounts of pottery. Pushing further into the mountains toward the source of the river, he came upon a cave. His writing had gotten vague, hazy and prone to hyperbole at this point, so no one could be totally sure what he found in those caves. Whatever it was, a lost civilisation or just a huge seam of gold, the prospector returned a changed and considerably wealthier man.

At first the archeologists came for the possibility of uncovering hitherto unknown settlement and vital clues as to the daily lives of bronze age man. Then, they realised, they had a rescue operation their hands. Locals had been coming to this spot, Prospector’s Cave, for centuries. It seemed anything of interest had been robbed out long ago.

And then they hit something unexpected.

Bodies. Burials mostly.

In amongst those multiple hundreds of skeletons and cremations, men, women and children, they found a warrior of indecipherable age. Clutched tightly in his fingers was a small, unassuming tessera. A fragment of pre-roman mosaic? Quick on the heels of the tessera-holding warrior were carvings and, identical to both, a single common symbol of a waning moon in a circle.

A unknown religious cult perhaps? Whatever they’d stumbled upon, they had enough material, enough questions to answer to keep them in business for many decades to come.

But one night, during the second full month of the dig, someone broke into the incident room. They took very little, nothing in fact apart from the unknown warrior’s moon-symboled rune/tile, before vanishing like they never existed in the first place.

The thief was never caught and the importance of the rune was made just that little more obscure.