Samantha stepped into her sister's room, finding the small pink Ranger lying on her bed, on her side, trying to fall asleep. She walked over to the pink bed slowly, and sat down beside the younger girl. Placing a hand on Hayden's side, she tried to see if the brunette was awake.

Hayden started to stir, so Samantha could assume she was up. She patted her sister's side and smiled.

"Hey."

"Go away," Hayden muttered, rolling over so she was lying on her stomach. "I'm trying to sleep."

"I know that," Samantha whispered, lying next to her sister, "But I need to talk to you."

"Can we talk later?" Hayden asked. "I'm really not in the mood."

"Tired?" Samantha asked. Hayden turned eyeing her pillow for a moment then giving Samantha a knowing look.

"How did you know?" she asked sarcastically.

"Intuition," Samantha smirked. Hayden rolled her eyes, trying to lie down, but Samantha persisted. "My intuition is also telling me something's going on."

"Well, there is a famine happening," Hayden snapped, "Maybe that's making your spidey senses tingle."

"Cut the attitude," Samantha frowned, pulling her sister up, "Flynn and I are worried about you. We never see you eat, yet your food supply seems to be running much lower than the rest."

"I didn't have much to start," Hayden shrugged. "I don't eat as much."

"I know that," Samantha nodded, "But I want to know if you are eating."

"Yes, Sammy, I'm eating," Hayden said, looking her sister in the eye so there was no suspicion. "And after my nap, I'm going down for a snack."

"Okay..." Samantha got back to her feet and moved to the door. Just before leaving, she turned to her sister, "I know you're invincible, Hayden, but you know... no one's going to blame you for taking some food."

"I know," Hayden nodded. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Samantha breathed, closing the door behind her. Just as she turned around, she bumped into Flynn. She screamed, but he covered her mouth.

"So?" he asked. Samantha spotted the tray of snacks in his hand and sighed.

"She told me she's been eating," she whispered. "I don't see a reason not to trust her."

Flynn frowned, looking down at the food. He had given Hayden a bigger share, because he was afraid she hadn't been eating at all since the start of the famine. If his suspicions were right, the reason Hayden's food supply was running low, as well as her energy, was because she was taking her food, and mixing it in with everyone else's. That way, at first glance, it would appear as if Hayden was eating and no one was the wiser.

"I do," Flynn said, "She's a pretty good liar when it comes to protecting us."

"So, you're not trusting your girlfriend?" Samantha asked. Flynn nodded. Samantha rolled her eyes and sighed, "Ranger couples are odd."

Flynn laughed slightly, holding the tray up, "Well, I'm going to give this to her. Maybe she'll eat if she has food brought to her."

"Good idea," Samantha smiled. She patted Flynn on the arm and got out of his way so he could go into the room.

Downstairs, Ziggy, Scott, Mike and Dillon were sitting on the couch with a video game controller in their hands.

"As kicking time!" Ziggy cheered, defeating the other two with ease. "I am the master."

"Too bad you can't do that on the real battlefield," Dillon smirked, reaching over to grab some chips, but finding none. He sighed, remembering the famine, and went back to resting on the couch.

"It's harder in real life," Ziggy frowned, turning off the game console.

"And yet, we all manage to do it," Scott teased. Ziggy stuck out his tongue at the boys as Dani sat down between them.

"Stupid hippos," she muttered, crossing her arms.

"What's so stupid about the hippos?" Mike laughed.

"They don't have to worry about a famine," Dani growled, "Wanna know why?"

"Why?"

"Because they don't have famines!" Daniela growled. "They eat little plastic balls!"

"Well, if you lose the balls, they have nothing to eat," Ziggy shrugged, planting an idea in Daniela's head. She quickly got up, pulled the game out from the game drawer and dumped it on the ground, collecting every last little plastic ball.

"Dani, where are you going?" Dillon asked as the red head started to walk to the bathroom.

"Famine time!" Daniela smirked. The three boys heard the familiar sound of water splashing as Daniela dropped the balls in the toilet, then flushed.

A few seconds later, Daniela was back on the couches with a big smile on her face.

"There, now no one's eating," she grinned.

Ziggy's lower lip started to quiver, "The hippo game... it's gone."

"Stupid overeating hippos," Dani grumbled.

-----RPM-----

"So, we have all the tools," Gem started, looking at his sister. She nodded.

"And we have all the pieces," she added.

"We just need..."

"... a brilliant idea."

Greg stepped in, closing the door behind him and turning to his long-time friends, "Mind if I help? The garage makes me think of eating."

"We could use all the help we can get," Gem nodded, pulling up a chair for Greg. He sat down and looked at all the blank pieces of paper.

"Are you still missing an idea?" he asked.

"Oh no," Gemma shook her head, "We have plenty of ideas. We just don't know how they'll work."

"Or if they will work," Gem added.

"Or if they're even possible in this day and age," Gemma finished. Both twins took a deep breath and sighed loudly.

"We're tests subjects, not inventors," they frowned. Greg smiled at his friends.

"Well, I'm not an inventor, but I did help develop a lot of technology. Why don't you guys run me through some of the ideas you had, and I'll see if there's anything I can do to help."

-----RPM-----

Dustin finally felt Kaylee go limp in his arms as she fell asleep. He lifted her up, placing her on the couch and covering her with a blanket.

"Everything's going to be okay," he whispered, kissing her forehead as he reached for the phone. "You're not doing this alone."

-----RPM-----

"Lass?" Flynn called, walking into his girlfriend's bedroom with the tray of food. "You awake?"

Hayden groaned loudly, sitting up in her bed, "If you guys don't want me to sleep, you could have told me before I got comfortable in bed."

"Sorry, but I brought you something to eat," Flynn said, holding up the tray for her to see.

"Uh, thanks, Flynn," Hayden smiled shyly, fiddling with her hair, "You can set it down on the table. I'll eat it after I nap."

"You might nap better if you eat," Flynn suggested. He grabbed a cracker off the tray and offered it to Hayden. She politely declined, putting the cracker, and the tray, down.

"Flynn, if you're going to talk to me like my sister did then you're wasting your time. I promise you, I'm eating, just like the rest of you!"

"I'm just... scared for you, Hayden," Flynn admitted, sitting beside his girlfriend, "It doesn't look like you're eating, and I never see you putting food in your mouth. It would really put me at ease if you would eat with the rest of us, sometimes, so I know you're okay."

"I promise, I'm fine," Hayden said softly, "I'm just, really tired. I'll eat this before leaving my room."

"Okay," Flynn nodded. He kissed her cheek and stood up. "You're scaring me, though, lass. I know you can't die, but... I don't want to see you hurt."

"I don't want you to be hurting, either Flynn," Hayden smiled.

She waited for him to leave, before grabbing the tray. She set it down on her pillow before throwing herself off the bed. She reached under and pulled out a small box. She lifted the cover, dumping the crackers inside and arranging them neatly. When they were all set up, she grabbed a few books, placing them on top of the crackers, and put the lid back on. She stuffed the box back under her bed, put the tray back on the end table, and went to sleep.

-----RPM-----

Tori and Blake were last to arrive at the Brooks residence after having to drop Jason and Elena off at a friend's house. They gathered with Dustin, Ronny, RJ and Kelly in the kitchen to talk.

"What's the emergency?" Tori asked, noticing right away that her sister wasn't leading, or even in the room. "Where's Kaylee?"

"Sleeping, finally," Dustin whispered, pointing down the hall to the living room. "I call you guys because she needs help."

"Well, looks like the tables have turned," RJ frowned, "The Great Ranger needs help from us. What does she need help with?"

"Everything," Dustin sighed, "She's got the weight of the world on her shoulders, and she's trying to carry it."

"Kaylee," Kelly groaned, rolling her eyes.

"She broke down yesterday, but didn't stop moving," Dustin explained, "She's trying to help everyone, but she knows that in order to do that, she's gotta be in two places at once, if not more."

"She's driving herself insane, isn't she?" Blake asked. Dustin nodded. He held up her computer, which he had nicknamed Devil.

"This keeps track of everyone in the city. Every few minutes it updates her on the city status."

The little devil beeped, and Dustin showed the others.

Famine: Day Seven.

Deaths: 118.

Chances of Survival: None.

"Ouch," Tori frowned, taking the computer to get a better look. "Does it give any good news?"

"The good news is the death count doesn't say Corinth," Dustin sighed. "I was hoping you guys could help with this."

"I'll smash it," Kelly smirked, taking the tool from Tori.

"I was thinking something along the lines of dividing the city," Dustin suggested. "If we were to each take a sector, we can deal with smaller problems and break down the bigger ones."

"So, basically, we're each responsible for a sector?" RJ asked.

"It's the only way Kaylee can be in two places at once," Dustin nodded, "And the city's small enough. It's not like you'll be taking on an entire region."

"We'll do it," Ronny smiled, happy to be helping, "But what is Kaylee going to do?"

"We'll have to report to her," Dustin frowned, "But at least, this way, more people can be helped and saved, and she might feel a little less stress."

"It all sounds good," Kelly said, "but... what exactly are we going to do in our sector?"

"Help out those in need," Dustin started, "Break up fights, solve problems, judge whether or not a person or a family is entitled to the city's food supply... stuff like that."

"It sounds... dangerous," RJ frowned, pulling Kelly in close.

"I know," Dustin agreed, running his hand through his hair as he turned to look into the living room. "But... it's something we have to do. It's for the best."

"If it helps, I've got a map of the city with all the sectors," Ronny smiled, pulling a folded up paper from her pocket. "I think the city's divided into six already. We just need to pick a district."

-----RPM-----

Hayden woke up from a restless nap and got out of bed. Even after the sleep, she felt weak and broken, but she masked it well enough. She reached under the bed, grabbing the box. She looked inside to make sure no one had gone snooping.

She grabbed the tray as well, putting it on top of the box before leaving. As she made her way downstairs, she saw Flynn was on the couch with the rest of the team.

"Flynn, Sammy, look!" she smiled, waving the empty tray for them to see. Both breathed a sigh of relief, taking the tray from Hayden.

"What's in the box?" Samantha asked. Hayden pulled off the lid, showing the contents.

"Just a few old books," Hayden smiled, "I think I'll give them back to Hannah next time I see her."

"And you put them in the box, why?' Samantha frowned, picking up a book. Hayden shrugged.

"So I don't forget them," she said. Samantha took the answer and went back to the couch. Hayden took the tray from Flynn.

"I'll wash it," she smiled, "Thanks for the snack."

"Anytime," Flynn beamed. He kissed her on the cheek and took back his seat. Hayden went to the kitchen and turned on the water. As it ran and filled the sink, she ducked behind the counters, pulling out the box of crackers. She took the books out and dumped all the crackers and the crumbs back inside. When there wasn't a trace of food left, she put the books back and turned off the tap to start washing.

Daniela watched her cousin nervously, "You okay, Hay?" she asked. From the kitchen, Hayden groaned.

"For the millionth time, yes!"

"Just checking," Dani said, "You don't look well."

-----RPM-----

Kaylee woke up, finding herself on the couch with the blanket placed over top of her. She remembered what happened before she passed out and knew Dustin put her there.

She lifted herself off the couch and went to look for him. Instead, she found a note.

"Hey babe,

The others and I went out to watch the city for you. I left all the information in the folder beside this note. Take the rest of the day off and relax. Go see the Rangers and Sammy if it helps.

Love, Dustin."

Kaylee smiled, putting down the note and picking up the folder. She saw all the different sectors and the names attached to them.

"They're helping me?" she asked herself, feeling a little bit of relief. She looked at her watch. It was close to dinner time. Now that she had been given the day off, she had nothing else to do, so she decided to go to the base to make a proper, yet small, dinner for the Rangers.

But first she was going to drop off some food for the twins.

-----RPM-----

"Six ball corner pocket," Ziggy called, leaning over the table to take his shot. With Summer out of the way, the Rangers were free to play pool, without the danger of losing all their spare change.

Hayden stood beside him, leaning on the pool stick for support. Everyone else was in the lab, trying to help Rebecca "create energy".

Hayden didn't want to admit it, but she was really starting to feel the effects of the famine taking place. She hadn't eating proper food in days and she was sure her stomach was beginning to eat itself. What was worst, her powers didn't have enough energy to keep her from feeling the pain. She was going to heal, and the cycle would continue, but she was going to feel every aching minute.

On top of that, she was feeling weak and dizzy. By now, Ziggy should have been begging for mercy as Hayden tried to sink her last shot in. The only reason he was winning, was because Hayden couldn't see straight, and therefore couldn't sink a shot in.

"Aha!" Ziggy cheered, sinking his ball. He only had one left, the eight ball. "I'll give you a chance to catch up."

He stepped away from the table, inviting Hayden to play again. She tried to line up her shot, but couldn't see.

She stood back up straight, holding her head.

"Hey... you okay?" he asked her.

"Just a little... embarrassed," Hayden laughed, waving it off. "My cousin's the champ, and I'm losing big time to you."

"Hey!" Ziggy chuckled, "That's not nice."

Hayden patted him on the shoulder... or what she thought was his shoulder.

"Um, you too?" Ziggy asked, tapping Hayden's cheek. Hayden simply turned back to the table, leaning over it and trying to line up her shot.

Ziggy watched her and saw something that scared him. Her stick was shaking. He could see she was trying to line up her shot, but she couldn't get the right aim.

"Hayden?" as soon as he called her name he saw her fall onto the pool table, unconscious. His eyes widened as he ran to her side to wake her.

"Hayden... Hayden! C'mon, answer me!" he called, tapping her cheek. "Hayden, wake up!"

He pulled her off the table and laid her down on the ground.

"Hayden, snap out of it!"

Kaylee stepped into the garage at that moment, hearing Ziggy's cries. She dropped her bag of food and ran around the cars to the pool table.

She saw Hayden on the ground, in Ziggy's arms, and everything came rushing back; all the feelings from before washed over her as she dropped to her knees.

"HAYDEN!" she screamed, hitting the girl's stomach desperately.

While she was out protecting the city, she wasn't doing anything to stop the famine.

When she was trying to stop the famine, people would be dying.

When she was trying to stop the city from killing itself, she was wearing herself thin.

When she worried about herself, her daughter started to fall.

If she were to start worrying about Hayden, she wouldn't help herself. If she didn't help herself, people would be killed. If people were being killed, there would be no city left to save and no city to protect. But if she didn't help her daughter, she would be letting her family down.

No matter which way Kaylee looked, she found herself in the wrong. It seemed there was nothing she could do that would help everyone. No matter what she did, it seemed like someone was going to pay.

"Hayden..." Kaylee sobbed, looking at the daughter, "What the hell did you do?"

The Rangers heard her screams and rushed in, but as soon as they saw Ziggy holding Hayden, they stopped. Flynn growled, turning to his car and kicking the wheel.

"I knew it!" he yelled. "I knew it, I knew it!"

"Knew what?" Scott asked.

"Hayden hasn't been eating!" Flynn frowned.

"Her food supply is..."

"Don't you get it?" Flynn yelled, turning to Daniela, "She's not eating the food. She's giving it to us!"

"Giving it... I haven't gotten food from her," Mike spoke.

"She's hiding it in our supplies... I knew it!" Flynn screamed, kicking the car again.

"She hasn't been eating?" Kaylee asked, noting her daughter's slimmed appearance.

"She probably felt guilty," Samantha whispered, "I know I would if I was sure to survive. She's probably giving you guys her food because she doesn't feel right eating it and taking it away from us."

"But... she can't die..." Ziggy whimpered, looking at the girl in his arms. "She..."

"Her stomach would eat itself, then heal," Rebecca said, "but her body can't produce certain essential elements."

"That would mean that..." Dillon trailed off.

"Her stomach's eating, but she's not getting any energy, any of the vitamins, or anything else she needs," Rebecca sighed, "And it think it's taken it's toll."

Daniela ran to the kitchen, going straight for the cabinet with all the vitamins. She grabbed a bunch and brought them to her aunt.

"If she's going to refuse to eat, the least she can do is swallow some of these," the red head smiled, handing the bottles to Kaylee. "I think it'll help."

"We'll take her to her room," Dillon said as he and Flynn took Hayden. Normally it would only take one boy to lift the girl, but with a lack of food and energy, they knew they wouldn't have the strength to carry her up the stairs alone, especially when her body was dead weight.

"Aunt K, just crush up the vitamins and put it in the water," Daniela instructed. "Mike can get it down, without drowning her."

"Whatever," Kaylee whispered looking down at her hands.

"What?" Dani asked, moving closer to the older woman. Kaylee scooted away.

"I don't care.... I can't do this..." Kaylee whispered. "I'm not fit for the job..."

Kaylee grabbed the medal on her RPM jacket and ripped it off, throwing it across the room.

"I'm not a world leader, I can't save the world and I can't be counted on. Someone else can do it."

"Aunt K..." Mike frowned, dropping beside Dani and Kaylee.

"The city's falling apart, I couldn't keep vegetation up and my own daughter's starving... it's all going on right under my nose and I can't keep it together long enough to think of a solution."

"Aunt Kaylee, that's not true!" Mike said as he grabbed her arm, "You're the best there is!"

"Then why the hell can't I save one person from death!" Kaylee screamed, "Why is it, whatever I do seems to cost someone their life? Everything's going wrong and I'm responsible!"

Kaylee ran out of the garage in tears and the Rangers were silenced.

Dr. K pushed through the teenagers and followed the older woman.

"Kaylee, wait!" she called, stepping outside without her oversized cloak. There was no time to grab it.

Scott brought his morpher to his mouth, "Dad... there's a little situation. You've just been, unofficially promoted."