Chapter 7
Currently in the city of Mariner Bay, another one of Diabolico's demon was terrorizing the city and its civilians. The rangers immediately showed up to stop the demon but it proved to be too much for them. Jean watched in worry as she, Ms. Fairweather and Captain Mitchell watched the battle. She tightly held her breath as she witness Carter and the others being struck by the demon's lightning.
Jean was about to sneak away from the command center in order to help the rangers when she watched the demon being shot at from an unknown source. Ms. Fairweather, Captain Mitchell and Jean continued to watch only to be surprised by the sight of another group of rangers. The trio looked at each other sharing the same look before turning their gaze back on the monitor.
They watched as the demon charged at the rangers only to be easily overpowered by them. Diabolico's follower decided that enough was enough and made his retreat back to Queen Bansheera's palace. Carter and the others took this time to get up and made their way over to their fellow rangers.
"Hey guys! Those were some impressive moves!" said Chad, though much to the group's surprise the other rangers gave no reply and began walking away. They watched as the other group stopped in front of a scientist holding a remote control in his hands. The scientist smiled at Carter and the others, "Hello."
"Hi…Who are they?" asked Carter
"They're the Cyborg Rangers."
"You mean they're robots?"
"Indeed they are." The scientist pressed a button on the control and ordered the robots, "Return to base." As the Cyborg Rangers and the scientist departed the area, Captain Mitchell and Jean turned to the head Lightspeed scientist. "Ms. Fairweather?" said Mitchell
"We aren't developing such things as Cyborg Rangers."
"Well if we didn't send them…Who did?" asked Jean
"I did."
The trio turned around to find an elderly man donning a general's uniform approaching them. Mitchell looked at Jean and Ms. Fairweather before saluting the man, "General McKnight." The man now known as McKnight saluted back.
"What in the world is going on?" asked Mitchell, "I wasn't told…"
"No one was told. The Cyborg Rangers are a top secret project."
"For what? We already have five Power Rangers."
McKnight softly laughed, "You mean those kids? The Cyborg Rangers are ten times stronger and they're programmed for one thing: Fighting. And they never make mistakes."
"Meaning what?"
At that moment the rangers had just arrived in transport having Jean, Ms. Fairweather and Mitchell look at them before heading over to the group. "Captain Mitchell they're incredible!" said Carter
Joel nodded in agreement, "Yeah and with the new cyborgs on the team, Diabolico doesn't stand a chance!"
McKnight took this time to approach the group, "The cyborgs aren't here to join you. They're here to replace you."
"Replace us?" said Carter
Mitchell went over to the general, "Sir this is a mistake." "I don't think so Captain. You saw them yourselves, they saved these…Kids…What were you thinking Bill? They could never defeat Diabolico and his evils."
"Meaning what General?" questioned Joel
"Yeah! Want to see how tough we are?" said Kelsey
Mitchell looked at them and firmly ordered, "Quiet!"
McKnight looked at Carter and the others, "You're relieved of your duties…" he turned to Jean, "Collect their morphers." The general then handed her a case. Jean looked at it before looking over at her captain. Mitchell managed to keep a straight face but sadly nodded.
The dark haired beauty gently bit her lip and closed her eyes and slowly approached the rangers. One by one they reluctantly took off their morphers and placed them in the case. As Jean stood in front of Carter, the two looked right at each other for a good minute before Carter handed over his morpher.
Jean then closed the case and went back over to McKnight, lightly shoving it into his arms. She gave the general a light glare before returning Mitchell's side. General McKnight cleared his throat and handed the case over to one of his officers, "The Cyborg Rangers are the future of Lightspeed Rescue. Diabolico won't know what hit him."
At Queen Bansheera's palace Loki was growling in annoyance due to Impus' crying. The demon let out another growl and glared at the infant "Ugh! Don't you ever stop crying?!" Impus simply continued to cry, occasionally calling out for his mother.
"I've tried everything to calm him, but he misses his mother Queen Bansheera!" told Jinxer
"And the day she returns to us, Impus will remember how you treated him Diabolico!" said Vypra, she smiled down at Impus whose cries were beginning to soften.
"He needs the comforts of his mother, I hope she comes back quickly." Said Jinxer
"The sooner the better. With her great powers we'll crush the rangers like flies!" said Diabolico, he abruptly turned to Vypra "Any signs of the black ranger?"
"Unfortunately no…But we're still looking."
"I see…Continue the search, I want the black ranger found as soon as possible. We cannot let the other rangers gain this powerful ally at all costs!"
Back at the Lightspeed aquabase, Jean was with Ms. Fairweather in her lab watching as the scientist was studying the cyborgs. While doing so General McKnight entered the lab at this time "Impressive aren't they?" Ms. Fairweather looked at him and nodded, "Very…"
"Platinum alloy skin, night vision, heat sensitive targeting, every millimeter programmed to perfection."
"Very impressive…But I fear that they're missing something."
"And what would that be?"
"The one thing you can't program…A heart…" with that being said Ms. Fairweather walked away into her office. Jean studied McKnight for a bit before following after the scientist. The general frowned a bit and took his leave with the two women watching.
Once he was gone, Ms. Fairweather turned to Jean and noticed the sad look on her face "Jean?" the captain's assistant looked at her, "Yeah?" "Are you ok?" "Uh…Yeah…I'm fine…" "Are you sure? I see that sad look in your eye…It's because of the rangers being relieved isn't it?"
"Yeah…"
"And you're also sad by the fact that Carter left."
Jean lightly blushed at this, "Wha-What?! What makes you say that?"
Ms. Fairweather softly laughed, "Nice try Jean…I saw how you and Carter looked at each other…I find it cute that you finally take an interest in a guy. Carter is pretty handsome."
"M-Ms. Fairweather!"
"Relax Jean, I'm just teasing you. Though I'm quite curious how much do you like Carter?"
"I…I…Well…A lot…I mean…I really like him…"
Ms. Fairweather smiled and rubbed Jean's back, "That's all I wanted to know…I think it's about time you head back to Captain Mitchell…But know that this isn't the last conversation we're going to have, Jean."
"I had feeling you were going to say that. See you later Ms. Fairweather."
"See you later, Jean."
The captain's assistant smiled at the scientist and took her leave from the lab. After walking through the halls for a little bit, Jean stopped and placed her back against the wall. She let out a long sigh before looking down both sides of the hall. Once making sure everything was clear, Jean rolled up her uniform sleeve revealing the black morpher.
She stared at the device and thought, "There's no way the cyborgs are better than the rangers…Sure they're strong but they're machinery…And like every machine those things will most likely malfunction during battle…"
"Jean?"
The dark haired beauty softly gasps and looked to find Captain Mitchell approaching her. She quickly stood straight, putting her arms behind her "Yes Captain?" Mitchell stopped a few feet away from her, "General McKnight wants us to join him in the Command Center. Apparently the same demon from before is back and McKnight wants us to watch the Cyborg Rangers in action."
"Understood sir."
Taking notice of her tense posture and the way she was acting, Captain Mitchell took a step toward her "Is everything all right Jean?" "Everything is perfectly fine, sir."
Not fully believing what she said, Captain Mitchell gave her a small suspicious look and nodded "All right then…Let's get going, shall we?" He turned and walked away. Jean began following after him but not before discreetly pulling down her sleeve to cover her morpher.
"Too close for comfort." Thought the captain's assistant as she continued to follow her commanding officer.
At the Command Center, General McKnight, Mitchell, Jean and Ms. Fairweather were currently watching the Cyborg Rangers fight against Diabolico's demon. Not once taking his eyes off the screen General McKnight said, "Didn't I tell you, Captain? The cyborgs are our future." Mitchell stared at the general for a few seconds then looked to Ms. Fairweather and Jean, only to see the two women crossing their arms.
As they continued watching the fight, General McKnight placed his hand on Mitchell's shoulder "Look at them go…" though before the Cyborg Rangers could finish off Diabolico's follower, the demon used its lightning powers on the robots. This greatly affected the cyborgs causing them to collapse to the ground.
McKnight stared at the screen in disbelief and shock, "That's impossible…"
The scientist controlling the Cyborg Rangers immediately went over and began checking on them. All of a sudden the cyborgs quickly got back on their feet and much to everyone's surprise, the cyborgs started going after the scientist and his colleagues. "What are they doing?!" demanded McKnight
"Their circuitry is fried…" said Ms. Fairweather, "You've got to stop then General!"
McKnight simply turned away and began mumbling to himself, "This can't be happening…We've tested them over and over…"
Mitchell touched his headset, "Dr. Harland! Activate self-destruct!"
The scientist tried to do what he was told and pressed the self-destruct button, but apparently didn't have any effect. Seeing how it didn't work Dr. Harland and his colleagues began to run away with the cyborgs still following after them.
"There's got to be a way to stop them." Said McKnight
Ms. Fairweather and Mitchell looked at each other then at the briefcase containing the rangers morphers. Seeing how they were completely distracted, Jean slipped away from the command center and made her trek into Mariner Bay.
With Dr. Harland his two colleagues, they were still being chased by the Cyborg Rangers. The robots managed to surround Dr. Harland and were about to harm him when Carter showed up and saved the scientist. He quickly led Dr. Harland a safe distance away from the cyborgs before being joined up by the other rangers.
The red cyborg ranger started to advance towards them only to be kicked and knocked down by Carter. The robot immediately got back on its feet and said, "You rangers are no match for cyborg rangers. You will be terminated."
"He's right, nothing could stop them!" said Dr. Harland
Carter looked back at the scientist, "You better hope you're wrong."
At that moment the rangers heard the sound of an engine approaching them and looked to find Captain Mitchell driving the Rescue Rover. Mitchell stopped the vehicle a few feet away and called out, "Carter!" he threw the red ranger his morpher who easily caught it. Mitchell then proceeded to throw the rest of the morphers to the other rangers.
The group soon morphed and began to fight with the cyborgs. Though the robots proved to be quite the opponents, the rangers managed to defeat each and every one of the cyborgs. Once Carter had defeated the red cyborg ranger, he placed his blaster away "That's the end of that!"
"Aren't you forgetting something you little power pests?!" Carter and the others looked to find Diabolico's demon standing a few feet away from them.
"The only pest around here is you! And we're going to stomp you out!" said Carter
"We'll see about that! Lightning spikes away!" though before the demon could release his attack on the rangers, he was suddenly shot at by lasers from out of nowhere.
Carter and the others turned around and were completely surprised to find the black ranger standing there with a blaster in hand. "Look! It's the black ranger!" said Kelsey
"All right then! Let's finish this demon off!" said Carter
Though before they could even do a thing, the black ranger ran towards the rangers and jumped over them. The mysterious ranger landed in front of the group and glanced back at them, "Stop…I've got it handled."
"Are you sure?" asked Dana
"Of course."
"Don't think you can defeat me so easily you pesky ranger!" snapped the demon
The black ranger said nothing more but brought out another blaster and aimed both of them at the demon, "I know I can defeat you." With that being said the ranger pulled the triggers which fired two powerful shots at the demon. And with these two shots, they easily destroyed the demon which shocked the rangers and Captain Mitchell.
As the smoke cleared the black ranger placed her two blasters in their holsters and began walking away. This made Carter and the others to quickly follow after the ranger. "Wait!" said the red ranger
The group soon reached their mysterious ally and stood in front of them. "Please wait." Said Kelsey, the black ranger slightly tilted their head "What is it that you want?"
"We would like to talk to you for a bit, if you don't mind." Said Dana
The black ranger shook their head, "I'm sorry…But I must be leaving."
"Please…Can't you talk with us for just a few minutes?" asked Chad
Joel nodded, "Yeah a few minutes wouldn't hurt you."
"I'm sorry…But like I said I really need to go."
"But-" Carter started only to be cut off by Mitchell calling to them, "Rangers!"
The group looked at their captain except for the black ranger. "Let the black ranger go." Told Mitchell
"But sir!" said Carter
"That's an order."
The rangers looked at each other before slowly stepping aside, letting the black ranger walk pass them and out of the sights. Once making sure that they were a safe distance away from the rangers and Mitchell, the black ranger hid behind the back of a building and powered down to reveal it was Jean.
She out a little tired sigh and stared at the black morpher on her wrist, Jean then covered it up with her uniform sleeve, "I better get back to the base before Captain Mitchell and the others take notice of my absence."
Back at the Lightspeed aquabase, the rangers were in the command center with Mitchell and Ms. Fairweather, happily chatting with each other. At that moment Jean casually walked into the room and Carter was the first to notice her arrival, "Jean!"
He hurried over to the captain's assistant and embraced her which completely surprised Jean. Dana, Kelsey and Ms. Fairweather softly giggled at the two while Joel, Chad and Mitchell chuckled. "Wow Carter…You must have really missed me." Said Jean
Carter quickly let the beauty go, lightly blushing "O-Oh um…"
"Ten hut!"
The red ranger quickly stood with the rangers in a straight line while Jean immediately stood by Captain Mitchell. General McKnight walked into the center and stood in front of the group, "At ease…I…Um…Underestimated your capabilities…And your heart…I uh…Apologize…Captain Mitchell made a wise choice…Five wise choices."
The five rangers saluted the general, "Thank you sir." Said Carter
McKnight saluted them back and approached Mitchell, "Captain…I won't interfere again…Carry on." The two officers saluted each other and McKnight finally took his leave.
Once he was finally gone, the rangers happily cheered while Ms. Fairweather, Mitchell and Jean watch them with a smile. Joel was the first to stop cheering and looked at Carter, "Sorry but I have to stop our little celebration for something a little important…Carter don't you have something to ask Jean?"
He stared at the green ranger in disbelief, "Joel!" "Come on, man." Carter looked to the others who were urging him to go over to the assistant. The red ranger hesitated for a few seconds before slowly going over to the beauty.
Carter stood in front of the assistant, rubbing the back of his neck "Umm…Jean?" "Yes Carter?"
"Would you…Like to…Go on a date with me?"
Jean stared at the red ranger in surprise before looking to Ms. Fairweather and Captain Mitchell. The pretty scientist gave her a thumbs up and a wink while the Lightspeed captain smiled at her and nodded. She looked back at Carter with a light blush on her face. Jean shyly brushed some of her hair back behind her ear, "I…I'd love to."
This in turn made Kelsey, Dana, Chad and Joel happily cheer once more but this time for Carter and Jean. The two proceeded to blush in embarrassment but were happy nonetheless for their date with each other.