He just ran, listening to the sounds of his own breathing, the wind rushing over him and past his ears, the cereal on his back crunching and bouncing and hopefully not turning into a powdery form within the box. His thoughts, though centered on hoping that sound wasn't what he thought it was, continually returned to Skyla.

The sound of tires screeching, struggling to grip the asphalt of the road, crunching metal and breaking glass upon impact. There weren't a whole lot of things that could have been. It sounded like a car accident. A bad car accident, if he had to guess.

As he neared the edge of the forest, he made a quick decision. He didn't know if he'd need to do anything ninja power-ish to help out. And if someone was awake and alert enough to see him, then he was guessing reports of a masked ninja sighting would be easier to dispute as a person's imagination, than reports of a random guy performing superhuman feats. Not to mention that he didn't want anyone to identify him directly.

He placed the feather safely and securely on his bag where his skateboard was attached, and he checked on the cereal. The cereal wasn't faring too well. He switched his clothes into his academy uniform, complete with mask before he began running down the road once more. And as he did, his thoughts were drawn back to the same things: Skyla, the accident, and the cereal that wasn't gonna be cereal much longer. He really should have gotten the cereal last.

He slowed when he saw the smoke and the remnants of what used to be two cars. A silver car was smoking against the guardrail on the side of the road. Several feet away from the silver car was a blue car. Each car was completely totaled.

He stood there, staring at the scene. The sound of his breathing heavy in his ears, the smell of smoke in the air already growing, each thing willing him to move, but he couldn't. Shock held him hostage until...

A sound anyone would know, no matter what language they spoke-the sound of a child's cry. That was all it took to get him to move forward, to see what he could do to help.

"Mommy!" The word was lost in a stream of cries.

"It'll be okay," he called out. "Don't worry. Don't worry."

He shrugged his bag off his shoulders and let it fall to the ground. He thought he could use his cell to call for help, but if they could trace the call, then they might be able to see whom the phone belonged to, who called. That would make disguising himself a moot point.

He moved towards the mangled heap, but paused as sparks flew once. Twice. Soon flames started reaching up, licking the car and growing in size. It would only be a matter of minutes before the car would be engulfed in flames. He didn't even want to think about what would happen if-when-the flames reached the gas tank.

The child's cry grew to a shriek as she saw flames begin growing, and he knew that he had to calm her down somehow. Her mom was unconscious and someone else was too. She was just in a car accident. Not something that a kid will just "bounce back" from.

"It's okay," he said. "I'm gonna get you out of there." He looked at her through the open space where the window would have been. She was strapped into some type of car seat. It wasn't the kind you put babies in, but something maybe because she was too small to sit in the seat itself. "How're you doin'?"

"Okay," she sniffled out hesitantly.

It took one look at the door to tell that it wasn't going to open easy. If anything, he would think it would take the jaws of life to get that door open, but there wasn't any other way to get to her. She was on the passenger side, the side of the car that was smashed against the guardrail. He might be flexible, but there was no way he could climb in through the window, get her, get out, and get to the other two people in the car before the fire engulfed the car in flames.

He grasped the handle and pulled. The door didn't move.

"What's your name?" he asked the girl, hoping to calm her down.

"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

"Well," he said as he tried the door one more time, pulling harder in the hopes that maybe it would open. It didn't. Not that he was surprised. "Your mom's right there."

"She's sleeping."

"You're talking to me now," he said smiling, knowing that she couldn't see it but maybe she heard it in his voice.

She looked at him and scrunched her face in thought.

"Besides, I'm a good stranger. I'm trying to help you. Like-"

"A Power Ranger," she said happily finishing his sentence with words he wasn't planning on using. "Are you a Power Ranger?"

"Sorta," he said, not really getting as much amusement out of that as he could have, considering that he was looking at everything again, trying to see if there was something he hadn't seen yet. His eyes went to the flames slowly growing and then back to the girl sitting in the car. He had to get the door open somehow.

"Shayla," came the child's voice.

"How are you doing, Shayla?" he asked again. "Still doing good?"

He grabbed the door handle as well as the door. He knew it was a futile attempt to get it open, but he had to try. If he didn't get the door open this time, he was going to climb through the window to get Shayla out and hope that there was enough time to do the same for her mom and sister.

"My head hurts a little. And I'm scared."

"You're doing really good. I'll have you out of there soon."

One.

Two.

Three.

He pulled on the door, hoping that somewhere, somehow, he had the strength to open the door and save the brave child sitting in the car. Without even his Ranger powers enhancing his strength, he knew it was a long shot, but he had to try. Much to his surprise though, the door creaked and the metal seemed to bend as he pulled it away.

"Wow," Shayla breathed, "you're real strong."

He smiled at her comment and wondered how he had been able to do that. Climbing into the cabin, he noticed that there was a cell phone lying on the floor. He guessed that in the crash things got thrown around a bit. He grabbed it as he released Shayla from her safety seat. "Let's get you out of here," he said.

In answer, she wrapped her little arms around his neck and held him tightly. Bringing his arms around her protectively, he backed out of the car. "You're doing good, Shayla," he whispered, "real good." He ran a ways away and set her down, noticing that she let go of him reluctantly

"I'm going to go back for your mom and sister," he informed her. "I want you to stay here. Can you do that for me?"

"Yeah," she replied bravely, "I can."

"I'll be right back,"

"With Mommy and Ginny, right?"

"With your mom and Ginny."

He ran back to the car, noticing that the flames were higher and closer that he would have liked, especially with the windshield gone by force of impact, or something, he was guessing. He put the phone down and did what he had done earlier to get the door open. He counted to three and then pulled with all his might, wishing, hoping, almost willing himself to get the door open to get to the people inside. And just like before, the door creaked, squealed, and complained as he pulled it away. Leaning in, he went to release Shayla's mother from her seatbelt. He picked up the phone and dialed 911 as he picked her up and started bringing her back towards Shayla.

"I'm calling to report a really bad accident on North Muir Road," he told the operator. He put the mother down and checked to see that she was breathing. It seemed that all the operator could do was ask him questions and use time that he didn't have to spend answering her questions. But he knew that she needed this information, so he did it.

"Help should be arriving soon," she told him. "Please stay on the line."

"Yeah, okay," he answered, looking back at the silver car, knowing that seconds were of the utmost importance.

"Shayla, I need you to help me." He gave her the cell phone. "I want you to stay on the phone and answer the questions if the nice lady asks any, while I get Ginny. Okay?"

"Okay."

"If you don't know the answer, call me,"

"I will. I can do it."

With that he ran back to the wreckage that was aflame. He got into the car and noticed how close the flames were. Sarcastically he thought whether the flames could get any larger, and he balked when there was a surge of heat as the fire flared briefly. Disbelief and shock filled him as the flames didn't engulf his hand. They almost... avoided his hand.

He pushed that out of his mind as he returned his concentration on his current rescue mission. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his heart beat rapidly in his chest. He could almost feel the adrenaline coursing through his body. That last flare up brought the fire closer, and he found himself wishing they weren't as close as they were. And as he moved across to get Ginny, he was shocked to notice that the flames backed away slightly.

Something weird was goin' on.

He unfastened her seat belt and pulled her closer to him. All the while keeping his attention on the fire growing closer once again. Pulling the other girl out of the car and safely bringing her to her sister and mother, he felt a little less worried. At least they were safe.

"How're things going?" he asked Shayla. "Any questions?"

"Nope. Are Mommy and Ginny okay?"

"I don't know. You'll have to ask the doctors and nurses that one. I'll be back," he told her reassuringly before he ran back to retrieve the mother's purse and Shayla's teddy bear. He'd seen both in the car when he had gotten Ginny out. To see what would happen, he concentrated, almost willing the flames down. Surprise filled him as the flames died down to a less serious level.

He raced back to where Shayla was sitting, phone to her ear, watching him intently. Yeah, he thought, changing into his uniform was a good idea. He placed the bear in Shayla's arms and watched as she hugged him close.

He smiled at the sight and turned to head over to the blue car to see how that person was doing. She was unconscious as well, in considerably better shape, but that was only because her car wasn't on fire. The sound of sirens made him stop. She wasn't in any imminent danger like the other family was. And with help arriving soon, there was little reason for him to pull her out of the car.

Turning around, he went back to where Shayla was. "Do you hear that?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said softly.

"That's help. They're gonna be here real soon. And they're going to help you and make sure that you're okay," he told her.

"And Mommy and Ginny?"

"And Mommy and Ginny." He went to grab his bag and hefted it on his shoulders.

"You're gonna go?"

"Yeah. But you're going to be just fine. Everything's going to be all right." He reached out to brush her cheek lightly with his fingers, wiping away a trail left by her tears. "I promise."

"Can't you just wait with me? I don't wanna be alone." Her voice cracked as fear flowed back into her. His stomach twisted at the sound in her voice. She sounded so frightened. She looked so scared. He didn't know how it happened exactly, but she had felt safer with him around. She didn't want him to leave her, and he had a real good idea about how it felt to feel abandoned . . . almost.

The sirens grew louder. They were coming closer, and he didn't know how to answer all the questions that he knew they were going to ask.

"I'm gonna be right over there," he pointed into the forest. "I won't leave until they are taking care of you."

"You promise?" she asked, a tear sliding down her cheek as she looked up at him with bright eyes.

He nodded. "I promise." He lightly brushed her cheek again, before turning and running towards the forest. He hid behind a tree and waited for the authorities to arrive. He pulled his cellphone out of his bag and checked the time, as well as for any text pages or calls he might've gotten while he was busy. He winced at the time. He was running late.

Seeing that Shayla was taken care of, and satisfied that she was safe and calm once again, he bounced his backpack higher up on his back before he started running back to the city. There was no way he could make it back to Wick's on time skateboarding the entire way.

Making up his mind, he took hold of the straps on his backpack. He wondered what ninja streaking did to cereal that had probably already seen better days, as he began to ninja streak back towards Blue Bay Harbor.

He hadn't intended to ninja streak all the way back to town. But he did. Once he had gotten away from the crash site, he'd just kept going. Too rattled, or distracted, or something. He didn't even think about it at first. So busy was he trying to figure out exactly what had happened. Or more accurately, exactly what he had done.

Some of it he could understand. In a weird way at least. The strength to rip off two car doors had to come from the battlizer. Which he hadn't believed he could still do. Until Skyla had told him he could, restoring his faith.

So the power really was still there. Once he believed that, he could use it. And since he'd used what he considered the functions of the battlizer, he wondered if he could call up the armor again. How would the armor look without his Ranger uniform underneath? Or would the power call up a new protective outfit to go with the armor? Or was that all up to him and what he believed?

What was really occupying his thoughts though, was the fire.

The fire had moved away from him. The fire had flared up, and the fire had gone out. Whatever he had thought about the fire, had happened.

He had to believe that this was the new manifestation of the power.

There was something there. He could feel it. And as frightening as the prospect of this new manifestation was, Shane was excited. Because he could feel it. And he hadn't been able to do that for a long time.

And though Shane knew he would have to learn a lot and practice, he was happy. The power was still there. And so was Skyla.

He landed in the alley behind Wick's, and switched back to his civilian clothes. He ran around to the front, and through the door. He checked the clock on a beer sign as he passed. He wasn't too terribly late. Maybe the others would just let his tardiness go. He knew he'd have to explain things eventually though.

Especially if he used the power again. Or suddenly manifested any new ones. Skyla hadn't been very clear on that point. But he assumed that when something about the power -- in his case, the battlizer -- was destroyed, then it manifested a new form. So if something happened to his fire, would something else pop up too?

As Shane approached his friends' table, he could hear snippets of their conversation.

"Tor, you should totally do it. Just test out. You won't be happy if you have to take a class you don't want to."

"Oh yeah! And then when you make the dance team in the spring, we could design your outfits! Right, Marah?" Kapri chimed in behind Dustin.

Shane hadn't known Marah and Kapri would be there. He had talked to the sisters when he'd been on campus earlier. He hadn't been at all focused though, and he honestly couldn't remember a thing he'd said to them.

Whether he'd known, or was supposed to have known, he couldn't say he was really surprised. Dustin and Marah had been spending a lot of time together. And Kapri had become a part of their group as well, especially through her work with Cam in NinjaOps.

Shane knew how much Cam needed help, even though the samurai would never ask for it. Shane didn't have the skills to really help, but Kapri did. And personally he was grateful that she was helping to make Cam's life easier.

"Shane!" Dustin shouted as he caught sight of him. Shane waved as he walked up. He dropped his backpack under the table, making sure the feather was secure in the straps, and took the seat between Tori and Kapri.

"Hey guys."

"You're late," Tori reminded. "I thought we might have to go looking for you."

"Yeah. Uh, long story. I'll fill you guys in later, if that's okay."

"Everything okay, Shane?" Marah asked, looking genuinely concerned.

"Yeah, I just have some things to think about." With that, Dustin caught his eye, and he remembered his attempt at kindness. He grabbed his backpack to retrieve Dustin's cereal.

"Here, man. I um, got you some more cereal," he said, passing it over. "It's, uh, a little crushed. Sorry about that."

Dustin gave the box an experimental shake before opening it. He removed the unopened bag, and everyone could see what was left of the cereal. A half bag of a cereal dust and sugar mixture, with little marshmallow ninja things here and there. The toy surprise, a little plastic ninja doll, was buried halfway down, like someone drowning in quicksand.

"It's all good, dude. We'll make sugar and milk soup or something."

"Or we could try it on the pizza," Marah offered, turning the bag over. Tori made a disgusted face, but Marah didn't notice. She was already asking Dustin if she could have the toy ninja, and he agreed with a sappy smile.

Shane started to put his backpack back under the table when he saw Dustin looking at the feather. His eyes went from the feather to Shane, and he raised his eyebrows in a questioningly way.

Shane nodded, with a smile. Dustin's face lit up, and he flashed a quick thumbs up. When Tori turned his way, he swiftly moved his hand through his hair. Shane just snickered at him.

"Welcome to our first open mike night," the woman on the stage suddenly announced. "We hope everyone has a great time. First up tonight is a regular here, Shane Clarke!"

He turned an accusing and surprised glare on his friends.

"We put your name in," Tori said smugly.

"You were late, and we didn't want you to miss your chance," Kapri explained.

"What if I hadn't showed?" he challenged.

"You know better than to not come," Tori smiled. "Now get up there."

Dustin began clapping and cheering, and the others followed suit. There didn't look to be a way out of this. Not that he wanted one. Not now.

He went to the small stage and accepted the microphone. He told the announcer a song, and she cued up the karaoke machine.

No, he didn't want out of this now. He'd sing.

He owed it to Skyla. To believe in himself. To be all he could. She'd given him so much. Not the least of which was the confidence he didn't even realize he had lost.

As he finished, the crowd was cheering, Dustin was whistling, and his friends were clapping. Shane smiled and took a bow, sure he'd seen a flash of red from his backpack under the table.

"I will always be with you, Shane. As you are with me."

Episode Bloopers

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