[TheFightingSpirit]

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.”

o0o

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.

o0o

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.

o0o

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.”

o0o

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.”