A/N: Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter! Before you start reading, though, I'd just like to take a moment to apologize for what I said in my last author's note. I didn't intend to come off as ungrateful or greedy, but I totally did and I need to make amends.
If you've been faithfully reading/reviewing each and every chapter, I want you to know, I love and appreciate you all, and I wouldn't trade a single one of you guys for anything. You guys are my motivation, and to be honest, you're one of the few reasons I even get out of bed in the morning. I've taken you for granted, lately, and I'm sorry.I want you all to know you mean the world to me, and your support keeps me going. Pat yourselves on the back, cuz you're awesome.
Oh, and I'm also sorry this episode took so long to come out. I have an explanation, though-I had a really busy summer, lol. I'll explain more in the second author's note. For now, just enjoy the chapter. If you wanna leave a review, great! If not, well, that's okay, too.
Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or Super Sentai, or any of the related trademarks. This is a fanmade, non-profit adaptation of the 2012 Sentai series, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, and is being made purely for my enjoyment, and the enjoyment of any readers I may have along the way. Please do not get mad and sue me.
Claimer: I do, however, own any OCs that appear. I also own any original plot elements not seen in Go-Busters or any other Sentai or Ranger season. Thank you.
A week or so had passed since the incident with F.E.A.R. It was currently Saturday, and Graham was sleeping peacefully in his bed when his alarm began glaring, causing him to snap his eyes open as he was roused from his slumber.
"Graham, buddy, time to wake up!" His Uncle Scott called from the other side of the door, knocking on it to make sure the teenager was awake. "Get up and get dressed; the Kanes will be here soon!"
Hearing this, Graham immediately groaned; he was really not looking forward to having company over, especially not the Kane family. They were nice enough, but they had always come off as a tad bit snooty. He understood why his Aunt and Uncle loved them so much-they had a lot of kids that were the exact same age as theirs, they lived in the same neighborhood, and they were also devout Apostolics so they weren't bad influences. Still, Graham thought they could be a bit dull and even snooty at times, and her preferred to hang out with his own friends on the weekends, anyway.
He didn't exactly have a choice, though; considering that the Kanes were coming to their house, and not the other way around, he couldn't just duck out by pretending to be sick or suddenly "remembering" he had "an important school assignment" he had to work on.
Guess I'll just have to suck it up, huh? Graham thought to himself, sitting up in bed and rubbing his tired blue eyes before letting out a yawn. I wonder what the others are up to…
Elsewhere, with Nate and Shawn…
"C'mon, please?"
"I don't know, Shawn. I'm really busy with this project right now." Nate replied from his desk, his head buried in some kind of electronic device as he worked on its wiring.
On the other side of the room, Shawn had his arms folded, as he tried to convince his best friend to go to the local movie theater with him.
"You're just stringing random wires onto a board. You don't even know what you're doing," Shawn said
"That isn't-" Nate began, being stopped mid-sentence when the board he was working on started smoking, causing the Gold Ranger to cough as he attempted to fan the smoke out the window. As he picked up the ruined board and got up to throw it away, he looked at it one last time before saying, "Okay, so I'm better with software than I am hardware. That doesn't make it any less of a learning experience."
"But you can have a learning experience anytime you want, dude. It's called school." Shawn pointed out, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out two movie tickets. He then proceeded to wave them in front of his roommate's face, as he said, "But an awesome experience like the terrifying new horror movie 'Revenge of the Killer Murderers: The Murderers Strike Back'? That's rare."
"And also stupid. Who wants to go to some dumb horror movie where they indulge in a bunch of cinematic clichés while also failing to capture the magic of the films those clichés were spawned from?"
"Evidently, Iris, if her last Facebook post is any indication." Shawn said, whipping out his phone and showing Nate a post from their classmate Iris Mayflower's Facebook page.
"I'll go tell Sister Catherine we're leaving!" Nate said rather quickly, grabbing his wallet off his desk and shoving it into his pocket before rushing out of the room.
I knew that'd get him to change his mind, Shawn thought to himself, snickering a little bit as he grabbed his jacket and headed after his gold counterpart. Looking at his phone, he tapped his thumb against the back of it a few times, thinking to himself some more. I wonder if the others would wanna go with us…
Meanwhile, at the Shields/Voice Residence…
Colin was lazily lounging on his bed, staring up at the ceiling with a bored expression on his face, when his phone rang, prompting him to sit up and hurriedly reach for his dresser, fumbling around for the electronic device until he eventually found it.
Picking it up, he looked at the screen, seeing that Shawn was calling him. Pressing the button to answer it, he held it up to his ear before saying, "Hello?"
"Hey." Shawn said from the other end. "What's up, CV?"
"Nothing much. Kind of a boring morning, to be honest," Colin began. "Anyway, what about you? Are you and Nate doing anything?"
"Actually, we are." Shawn said matter-of-factly. "We're going to see that brand new horror movie."
"Revenge of the Killer Murderers: The Murderers Strike Back?" Colin asked.
"That's the one," Shawn confirmed. "We're going to the theater inside the local mall; we're aiming for the 12:00 showing. Anyway, I'm calling to ask if you and Colleen wanted to go. Maybe Graham could come, too?"
"Graham can't go; he said something about some family friends coming over for the day. Colleen and I are free, though."
"That's good. Bummer about Graham, though." Shawn said, pausing for a moment before continuing. "Anyway, let's meet up outside the mall, alright? That way it'll be easier to find eachother."
"Alright, sounds good. We'll see you guys there."
"You got it. Later."
"Later," Colin echoed, hanging up his phone before hopping out of bed. Changing into his usual attire, he slipped his phone into his pocket and grabbed his wallet before exiting his room and stepping out into the hallway.
Entering the bathroom, he proceeded to perform his daily hygiene routine, consisting of brushing his teeth, using mouthwash, putting on deodorant, applying acne cream, shaving, and lastly, combing his hair.
Thoroughly satisfied with the way he looked, he left the bathroom and turned towards Colleen's bedroom door, preparing to knock on it in order to summon her. However, as he stepped closer to the door, he swore he heard sniffling.
Tilting his head in slight confusion, Colin lightly tapped on the door with his knuckles before saying, "Colleen, are you alright? You sound like you're crying."
Hearing this from inside her bedroom, Colleen replied, "I-I'm not crying; everything's fine. Give me a minute,"
A few seconds later, the door opened up, revealing a rather unkempt looking Colleen. Her hair wasn't done, and she was still in her pajamas. Her nose and face were also slightly red, indicating that she'd been crying. Seeing this, Colin said, "Are you sure, sis? You look really upset about something."
"It's nothing, I promise…" Colleen said rather unconvincingly, instantly letting him know she was lying. Rubbing one of her eyes, she continued, saying, "Was there something you wanted?"
"Yeah, actually. Graham's stuck at home with some family thing, today, but Nate and Shawn are free, and they wanted to know if we'd be interested in going to the movies with them. We're gonna meet up inside the mall a half hour before. Anyway, you should get dressed."
"That sounds great, but…I think I'm just gonna stay home." Colleen replied, causing him to frown. "Have fun though, alright?"
"I uh…I will." Colin said, shifting his gaze so his twin couldn't see how concerned he was for her. "Bye."
"Bye," Colleen echoed, shutting her door and leaving Colin in the hall by himself.
Well, that was weird… Colin thought to himself, as he walked out into the living room and exited the apartment, locking the door behind him with his key. As he began the long walk to the local mall, he continued to think to himself. I wonder what she was crying about…
Back in Colleen's Room…
Colleen sniffled as she sat back down on her bed, cradling her legs to her chest with her left arm as she reached for her dresser with her right. Picking up a picture frame containing a photo of an older woman with green eyes and bright red hair, she let a few tears fall, before allowing a single word to escape her lips.
"Momma…" Colleen managed to squeak, closing her eyes as more tears started to fall.
*Cue Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens*
(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, establishing shots of Starview Heights are shown. A sweeping shot of the city quickly transitions to a shot of Psycho in Hyperspace, with Enter bowing in front of him. Following this, the camera speedily pans upward towards the show's logo as the vocals begin*)
~This is our manifesto, we've given all the best to you,
Like it was the least that we could ever do.~
(*Shots of all five Rangers flash on-screen, showing them doing everyday activities. Graham is reading a manga, Colin is typing on his laptop, Colleen is riding a bike, Nate is writing something in a journal, and Shawn is playing a handheld videogame console. One by one, they turn to the camera and smile, as translucent images of their helmets flash over-top of their faces for a few moments before disappearing.*)
~We're soaked in gasoline, while you watched as everything just burned,
Letting your lighter do the dirty work.~
(*The camera flashes to show Enter watching a recording of the day Psycho went rampant, with younger versions of Graham, Colin, and Colleen standing near their respective mothers' dead bodies, tears streaming down their faces. As a Metaloid points his weapon at the three and fires, Enter laughs, a sadistic smile on his face as he turns around, the hologram playing the video vanishing into thin air.*)
~You'd better hold your ground, the end is starting now,
So load your gun, a war is coming!~
(*A now teenaged Graham runs towards the camera, his morpher on his left wrist as the others follow closely behind. Looking down at the destruction being caused by the Vaglass, he morphs, with the other four quickly following his lead. Now in their Ranger Suits, the five spring into action, using their respective special-abilities to amplify their powers as they engage the Buglars.*)
~We are all against the wall, won't be the ones that time forgot,
(Oh oh, oh oh)~
(*A shot of the five Rangers piloting their Zords into battle against a giant robot is shown. Gripping the controls, they each perform a series of button-presses, forming their Megazord in time to block an incoming attack from their foe. They immediately retaliate with an attack of their own, knocking the Metaloid's robot onto its back*)
~If it's our fate, we're not afraid, yeah, we can face the firing squad!
(Oh oh, oh oh)~
(*The scene transitions to show Graham and the others standing side by side, all five of them lined up as Enter fires a blast of energy out of his hand, the energy hurtling towards them like a bullet. Raising their arms, the five instantly morph into their Ranger Suits, deflecting the attack as Enter watches in awe. Gripping their weapons tightly, they all rush towards their opponents, as the logo flashes on-screen once more and the opening ends.*)
*End Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens*
Episode 10: Revenge of the Metaloids
Nate and Shawn were waiting patiently inside the mall when they finally saw Colin push his way through the crowd, holding up his hand in a form of a wave as he continued to walk towards them.
When he finally reached them, he lowered his hand before saying, "Sorry I'm late, guys. The bus I was on was pretty full so we had a lot of stops to get through before it finally dropped me off here."
"It's okay; we still have a few minutes until the movie starts and even then it's like, twenty minutes of previews." Nate told him. Looking around, he added, "Hey, where's Colleen?"
"Oh, she didn't feel like coming." Colin told him. "I thought I heard sniffling from inside her room and when she answered the door, she looked like she was crying. Anyway, she told me she'd rather stay home today."
"Hmm…well that's weird." Shawn observed, stroking his chin. "I wonder what she was upset about…"
"No idea. She usually gets really depressed this time of year, and it lasts for a few days before going away." Colin explained. "When she gets like this, she spends most of her time in her room. I'm a little worried, but I'm sure she'll be fine."
"Well, I hope she gets better." Nate said genuinely, as the three boys headed off to buy their tickets for the movie. "Anyway, I wonder how Graham's day is going, so far. Think he's having fun?"
"I'm sure he's having a blast." Colin replied, as they got into the ticket line.
Elsewhere, at the Glover Residence…
Graham mentally groaned as he sat at the kitchen table, trying to enjoy a glass of Mt. Dew as he listened to the idle chatter between his Aunt Tammy and Mrs. Kane, who were in the kitchen going on about god knows what.
Whatever it was, it was definitely boring, but Graham would take anything over listening to the Kane's son, Alexander. He was Graham's age, and he looked pretty cool from a short distance, but if you actually talked to him, you'd soon realize he was dull, conceited, and even a little selfish. He spent most of his time in conversation gloating about his numerous accomplishments, and while Graham respected the dedication and hard work that most likely went into achieving such feats, he still didn't care for a boaster.
This day was definitely not going the way Graham had intended. To be perfectly honest, he had forgotten all about the get-together his Aunt and Uncle had planned with the Kane family, and he had originally planned to spend his Saturday hanging out with his fellow Rangers. However, now he was stuck in Dullsville, USA, and he'd do anything to get out of it.
"Say, Tammy, how has Graham been since we last saw him?" Mrs. Kane asked, piquing Graham's interest. "Has this school year gone well for him, so far?"
"Actually, Graham is doing a lot better than last year. He's making more friends, his grades are improving, and he's also taking part in an…extracurricular he particularly enjoys." Tammy told her, subtly alluding to her nephew's duty as a Power Ranger without giving away the secret.
"Well, that's nice. He's a very good kid, Tammy. You've done an amazing job raising him."
"Thank you." Tammy replied with a smile.
"Speaking of which, is he seeing anyone?" Mrs. Kane asked. "Because Jamie isn't, and David and I think they would make a wonderful couple."
Upon hearing this, Graham did an immediate spit-take, spraying Mt. Dew all over the table and drawing a ton of attention to himself. Looking up at his Aunt, he rubbed the back of his head, letting out an awkward chuckle.
"M-My bad…sorry, Aunt Tammy." Graham said as he stood up, walking over to the sink and grabbing a wet washcloth before wiping off the table, removing the stick liquid from its surface before drying it off with a paper towel. Grabbing his cup, he walked out of the kitchen and opened the door to the basement, going halfway down the stairs before sitting down and reflecting on what he just heard.
They're gonna try to set me up with JAMIE? Graham thought to himself, internally groaning at the prospect. I mean, she's a nice girl, and she's kind of cute, but she can be a little self-absorbed, and plus, I kind of have a thing for-
Shaking his head to interrupt his latest train of thought, Graham stood up and headed back upstairs, going into the kitchen to set his glass of soda down as he grabbed his hoody off the back of a chair and threw it on, saying, "See you, Aunt Tammy; I'm gonna go outside and play croquet with Mr. Kane and Alexander."
"Okay then. Make sure to be back in an half hour for dinner; you'll need to-"
"I know, I know; wash my hands and help set the table. Don't worry, I got it." Graham assured her.
"Alright then," Tammy said, turning her attention back to Mrs. Kane before saying, "Yeah, Graham is definitely still available. Maybe we can see if either of them is interested and try to set something up?"
Hearing this prompted Graham to rush out the front door, now even more desperate to escape the conversation between his Aunt and Mrs. Kane. He did not like the direction it was going.
Colleen sniffled as she walked down the street, wiping the tears from her eyes in an attempt to maintain her composure. She was normally a very cheerful girl, but she almost always got depressed at this time of year. The reason for that was very simple…it was because of her mother.
Letting out a sad sigh, Colleen swallowed back another wave of tears she felt coming on, as a memory began to unearth itself in the back of her mind…
~Flashback Start~
A seven year old Colleen let out a fit of giggles as she ran through the grass at a local park, where her and her brother were playing. Turning her head to look at a woman with long red hair and green eyes, she said, "C'mon, mama, keep up!"
Letting out a laugh, Colleen's mother said, "I'm sorry, sweetie, but you're too fast; momma isn't as quick as she used to be."
"That doesn't mean you can't try, though!" Colleen said cheerfully, poking her mother on the arm before saying, "Tag, you're it!"
"Well, when you put it like that…tag!" Mrs. Voice said, tagging her daughter right back before running off. "Now you're it!"
Seeing this, Colleen's mouth formed into a wide grin as she chased after her mother, giggling the entire way. Her mother rarely played with her anymore because of how exhausting it could be, so whenever she did, it made Colleen so happy. She was having a blast.
~Flashback End~
I miss her so much… Colleen thought to herself, shedding a single tear as she continued to walk down the sidewalks of Starview Heights' downtown area. It's been more than a decade but I still can't believe she's really gone…
The Yellow Ranger was about to duck into a local flower shop when she heard her Morphin' Brace go off, causing her to sigh in annoyance.
Stupid Vaglass…they can't even give me a single day off to visit my mom's grave? She thought to herself, wiping the tears from her eyes as she turned tail and sprinted off in the direction of the attack.
Inside the mall, Colin, Nate, and Shawn had just finished their movie. As they exited the theater, they talked and laughed amongst themselves, discussing their thoughts on the flick in question.
"Dude, that movie was sooo bad," Shawn began, his mouth forming into a toothless grin as he continued with, "I LOVED it!"
"It was kind of bad in a 'so bad its good' kind of way." Nate agreed, taking a moment to adjust his glasses with his thumb. "I nearly died when that dumb blonde chick got killed because she refused to turn around and swim through the water to safety. I mean, I know it's probably hard to swim when you have breasts that large, but sheesh. People in horror movies are dumb."
"They're not just dumb. They're dumb as dog shit." Colin added, making Shawn laugh so hard soda almost sprayed out of his nose. "Anyway, we should probably head home, now."
"Probably." Shawn said with a nod. "Ready to go, Nate?"
"Yeah, yeah, in a minute," Nate said rather quickly, not paying attention as he glanced over at someone at the concession stand. Following his gaze, Shawn spotted a girl their age with pale Caucasian skin and big brown eyes. She was shorter than most girls in their grade, and was kind of petite, too. She had long, flowing brown hair, and wore an outfit consisting of a Friday the 13th t-shirt, a dark denim miniskirt with black leggings, and black sneakers. Shawn instantly recognized her as Iris, the girl he had been teasing Nate about off and on ever since they had moved to Starview Heights.
Patting his best friend on the shoulder, Nate said, "I'll be right back." before leaving and making his way over to the girl.
Tapping her on the shoulder to get her attention as she browsed through the different candies and snacks the theater was selling, he greeted her, saying, "Uh, Iris, right?"
Turning to face him, the girl replied, "That's my name, don't wear it out. And you are?"
"Sorry, how rude of me. I'm Nate; we have Computer class together at school."
"I thought you looked familiar!" Iris said in realization, a small grin forming on her face. "You and your friend Shane just moved to town, right?"
"Shawn, actually, but yeah. We got transferred from our last orphanage." Nate told her, electing to leave out the parts about hacking and becoming a Power Ranger. "Anyway, what movie are you seeing? I've heard you're a big horror buff, but I don't know if that's true."
"Oh, it's true. I love horror movies!" Iris exclaimed. "I'm here to see a new one, actually. Revenge of the Killer Murderers."
"No way, that's crazy! Shawn and I literally just saw it with our friend Colin." Nate said, feigning surprise. He didn't think it would be wise to reveal he had only watched the movie because he had heard she was going to be there.
"Wow, that's cool! Was it any good? Don't spoil anything."
"It was great, actually." Nate said, lying a little bit. He had enjoyed himself watching the movie, but the actual movie itself was, in his opinion, subpar at best. "Really great gore effects."
"Well, Attack of the Killer Murderers had awesome gore, so it only makes sense that the sequel would, too. I don't think it's gonna be as good as the original, though. AotKM was a really great movie."
"Interesting…I've actually never seen the first one."
"No way, you haven't?" Iris asked, somewhat dumbfounded. "It is amazing; you HAVE to watch it! I have it on DVD, maybe I'll let you borrow it someday."
"I don't know; Sister Catherine is really strict about what she lets us watch. We're lucky if we're able to watch anything rated PG at home." Nate replied. "Maybe I can come over and watch it with you, instead? Y'know, if that's okay."
"Actually, that'd be great." Iris said, giving the boy a smile. "When do you wanna do it?"
"I don't know, next Saturday, maybe?"
"It's a date," Iris replied, causing Nate to blush as she grabbed a bag of sour candies and sashayed over to the concession stand line. He stood there for the next several moments, unable to take his eyes off of the girl as she purchased her snacks.
"She's incredible…" Nate murmured, losing himself in some sort of trance and completely ignoring the sound of his Morphin' Blaster going off in his pocket.
"Yeah, yeah, I bet she is." Shawn said, having snuck up behind the Gold Ranger. Grabbing him by the arm and tugging on it, he added, "C'mon, Romeo, we gotta go."
"Okay, okay, I get it!" Nate said in annoyance, ripping his arm away from his silver counterpart's grasp. "Jeez…"
With that, the two boys met up with their blue counterpart before exiting the mall, heading for the scene of the attack.
Lastly, Graham was in the middle of setting the table in preparation for the dinner with the Kane family when his Morphin' Brace went off, causing him to immediately glance at his Aunt Tammy, as if he were silently asking her for permission to respond. Closing her eyes, Aunt Tammy let out a sigh before re-opening her eyes and speaking.
"Huh. Looks like we're out of napkins. Graham, do you mind running out and grabbing some?" She asked, giving her nephew a knowing look.
"Not at all, Aunt Tammy. I'll be right back." The boy replied, grabbing his hoodie and throwing it on as he rushed out the door, hopping onto Cheetah Nick in his bike form and putting on a red helmet before driving towards the scene of the attack.
Screams of terror filled the area around Starview Heights' downtown plaza as people fled as fast as they could from several incoming squadrons of Buglars, all of which were being led by a stocky white Metaloid.
This Metaloid was themed after some sort of defibrillator; its torso was rectangular in design, and featured a small screen in the center that seemed to be displaying the Vaglass logo in red. Its head was a simple square with its face shaped like the first aid logo. Finally, its hands were shaped like defibrillator pads, with several loose black wires connecting the hands to the back of the torso.
Growling in frustration, the Metaloid clenched its fists, saying, "Where are they? You'd think their superiors would've deployed them by now!"
"Looking for us?"
Turning his head, the Metaloid was just in time to see Colin, Colleen, Nate, and Shawn running towards him, stopping a few feet away from him. Soon, they were joined by Graham, who rode in on Cheetah Nick's motorcycle mode before swerving to a halt and removing his helmet.
Dismounting and making his way over to his team, Graham watched as the Metaloid tilted its head, seeming to study them.
"Interesting…" He observed. "Are you by any chance the Power Rangers?"
"I don't know," Graham said with a bit of a laugh, as he and the others brandished their morphers. "Does this answer your question? It's Morphin Time!"
"Install: Spy-Busters!" The five hollered in unison, instantly morphing into their Ranger Suits.
"Finally…I found you." The Metaloid said, letting out a sigh. "Allow me to introduce myself; I am Reviveloid."
"That's odd…I guess 'Defibrilattorloid' was too long?" Colin said in a sarcastic tone, causing Reviveloid to angrily stomp his foot on the ground.
"I've had enough of your sarcasm, petty humans!" Reviveloid growled. Raising his hand, he commanded his footsoldiers, saying, "Buglars, attack!"
Looking to his team, Graham said, "You know the drill, guys. Let's go!"
With that, the five dashed forward, launching themselves into the heart of battle like they had done so many times before. Brandishing their weapons, the teens met the Buglars halfway, and the two sides began to clash.
As per usual, Colin relied on his physical strength, punching, slamming, and chopping the footsoldiers into submission.
Grabbing a Buglar by its legs, the Blue Ranger lifted it above his head before slamming it into another, causing both to explode. Whipping out his Spy-Saber to counter a swing from another Buglar, he slashed it across the stomach, causing it to spark uncontrollably before falling to the ground and dying.
Seeing this, the rest of the Buglars that were attacking him ran for their lives, not wanting to suffer the same fate. However, they were cut off by Colleen, who proceeded to slam her hand down on her Transpod, materializing her Spy-Blaster.
"Not so fast," She said, gripping her weapon in both hands and gunning down the stragglers in seconds. Turning around just in time to see another group fast approaching, the Yellow Ranger ran to take them on, firing wildly.
Meanwhile, Nate and Shawn were in the middle of a standoff with their own group of Buglars.
Sensing they were being flanked using his hyper-detection, the Silver Ranger turned to his gold counterpart, saying, "Nate?"
"I know," The Gold Ranger said, turning his head to see Burglars all around them. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Depends on what you're thinking."
"Just follow my lead," Nate told him, rolling his eyes underneath his helmet. Using his telekinesis, he lifted the Buglars up into the air, and allowed them to hover in mid-air. "Shawn! Blast 'em, now!"
"You got it!" Shawn hollered, whipping out his Morphin' Blaster and gunning down most of the floating Buglars.
Releasing his telekinetic grip on the surviving footsoldiers, Nate brandished his Drive Blade and gripped it tightly, before using the weapon to slash them into pieces.
"Piece of cake," The Gold Ranger said, holstering his weapon as he did.
On the other side of the battlefield, Graham was still fighting his own wave of attackers. As the Buglars attempted to strike him with their weapons, the Red Ranger dodged using his trademark superspeed. Materializing his Spy-Saber, he launched an attack of his own, swinging wildly at his foes until they all fell to his blade.
Watching as the last of his footsoldiers exploded, Reviveloid said, "You Rangers think you're tough, don't you? You're definitely strong, no doubt about that. However…you don't stand a chance against me."
"Yeah, yeah, we've heard that one a million times, pal." Colin replied, folding his arms in indifference. "You're all talk, no game, just like all Metaloids. Trust me, you're going down."
"If you're so sure, why don't you come over and prove it?" Reviveloid asked. Unbeknownst to Colin, he reached behind his back with his left hand and grabbed a strange object of some sort.
Seeing this, Colleen attempted to warn her twin, saying, "Colin, don't do it! It's a-"
"Challenge accepted!" Colin boomed, beating on his chest with both fists before running full-speed towards Reviveloid, swinging his arms in the Metaloid's direction as he got close enough.
"-trap…" Colleen finished, as Reviveloid grabbed the Blue Ranger by the wrist, holding him in place and preventing him from moving.
"Uh oh…" Colin said, only now realizing the weight of his mistake.
"You're not very bright, are you?" Reviveloid taunted, whipping out the device in his left hand and looking to Colin before saying, "Don't worry, this'll only sting a little bit."
"What will?" Colin asked in confusion, being caught off-guard when Reviveloid pressed the device to his stomach and started scanning him. "What the…what the hell?"
The device began to glow a bright white, emitting a small electronic click just a few moments later. Removing the device from the Blue Ranger, Reviveloid examined it and let out a chuckle. "Yes…this should do nicely."
Gripping the device tightly, Reviveloid proceeded to rub it against his free hand, causing it to emit another electronic click. His right arm began to spark and the screen on its chest began to fill up with ones and zeroes of binary code.
"What's he doing?" Shawn questioned.
"Revival: Complete." An electronic voice said, as energy began to pour out of Reviveloid.
Forming into a construct of some sort next to him, it began to reshape itself until it possessed a more recognizable form…a form Colin knew all too well.
Standing right in front of him…was Burnerloid.
Looking to the Blue Ranger, the fire-themed Metaloid said, "Why howdy there, pardner!"
"But…but…how?" Colin stammered in disbelief. "I…I thought we destroyed you!"
"Ya'll did! Got me darn good, tell ya what. But now this here Reviveloid used that there scanner thingy to download yer memories of our battle and wallah! I'm back, pardner!"
"Your accent is a lot more annoying than I remember…" Colin muttered under his breath, taking a fighting stance.
Charging up energy in his flame-arm, Burnerloid discharged it in a blast of fire, which Colin promptly dodged with a front-flip.
Landing on the other side of the Metaloid, the Blue Ranger grabbed him by the sides and attempted to lift him up. Before he could do so, however, Burnerloid shook him off, causing Colin to stagger backwards as he whipped around to face him.
"Sorry, pardner, ain't gonna be that easy!" Burnerloid taunted, charging his flame-arm with more energy. "I've been upgraded since we last fought-in other words, I'm stronger than ever before and ready to kick yer ass!"
"Bring it on, tin can!" Colin roared, his visor glowing a light aqua color as his weakpoint began to kick in. The moment the glowing disappeared, he leapt into the air, lifting both arms into the air and summoning all the strength in his body. "YOU'RE STILL NO MATCH FOR MY STRENGTH!"
"I beg to differ. The stronger they are…" Burnerloid began, aiming his flame-arm upwards and firing a burst of flames at the Blue Ranger as he drifted downward. Hitting him dead on, the Metaloid watched as the teen fell to the ground with a loud thud, before finishing with, "The harder they fall!"
Groaning in pain as he rolled over and demorphed, Colin muttered, "That's…gonna bruise, isn't it…?"
"Colin!" Colleen exclaimed in concern for her twin brother, growing enraged at the sight of him in pain.
Before she could act on her anger, Graham held out his arm in front of her, saying, "Colleen, don't! It's too dangerous, we need to come up with a different approach!"
"If we take out Reviveloid, Burnerloid should vanish, right?" Shawn questioned.
"Worth a shot," Nate replied, brandishing his Drive Blade. "Wanna go for it?"
"I'm right behind you, bro!" Shawn hollered, whipping out his own Drive Blade and joining Nate as he ran towards Reviveloid.
"Guys, wait!" Graham shouted. "We need to do more thinking than that!"
"No need, bossman! We've got this!" Shawn replied, as he and Nate raised their weapons. Together, they swung their swords down in Reviveloid's direction.
"Big mistake, boys!" Reviveloid boomed, grabbing ahold of both their blades with his left hand and using the newfound leverage to hold the two still while he scanned them both with his scanner.
"Aw crap…" Shawn realized. "We really should've thought of that…"
"You think?" Nate said sarcastically, as Reviveloid rubbed the device against his right hand, causing him to spark with energy again.
"Revival: Complete!" The electronic voice from earlier announced, as two blobs of energy poured out of Reviveloid. Within moments, the two formless masses began to morph into recognizable shapes, and soon, Needleloid and Cutterloid stood before them.
"Remember me?" Cutterloid taunted, looking towards Shawn as he let out a maniacal laugh.
"We meet again, Buster Gold!" Needleloid said with glee. Raising up his needle-arm, he continued, saying, "Looks like it's time for your six-month checkup!"
Taking a slow breath, Nate let out a quiet, "…Shit."
All he and Shawn could do was scream as they were both slashed across the chest by Needleloid and Cutterloid, respectively, sending them flying into the air before landing on the ground with a thud. The force was enough to demorph them both on impact.
"Guys!" Graham shouted in concern for his teammates, as Reviveloid and the other Metaloids cackled evilly. Clenching his fist, he said, "You're gonna pay for doing that to my friends!"
"I think not, Buster Red!" Reviveloid countered, gripping his scanner in his right hand. Bringing his arm up to his left shoulder before flicking his wrist forward, he launched the scanner like a boomerang.
Graham and Colleen barely had anytime to react as the scanner hurled towards them, landing on them and scanning them very quickly before flying back towards Reviveloid. The Metaloid caught it with his left hand as it returned to him, waving it back and forth in order to taunt the two.
"If you thought your odds were bad before, wait until you see this!" Reviveloid hollered, rubbing the scanner against his right hand and causing his body to spark with energy once more. Two blobs of energy poured out of his body, quickly forming into the more recognizable shapes of Tireloid and Springloid.
"Did you miss me, speedy?" Tireloid guffawed.
"Can't say I did," Graham growled, clenching his fist in anger and disgust.
Speaking up, Springloid said, "What about you, girly? Wanna play?"
"Not particularly," Colleen said, gripping her Spy-Blaster tightly.
"Enough with the formalities!" Reviveloid boomed. "Metaloids, attack!"
"Gladly!" Springloid hollered, leaping into the air and launching his spring-legs forward towards an unprepared Colleen. Reacting quickly, Graham supersped in front of her before spreading his arms as wide as they would go, blocking the girl and taking the brunt of the attack.
Stumbling slightly as a result of the impact, Graham looked upward, just in time to see Tireloid dashing towards him.
"Eat this!" The Metaloid shouted, grabbing Graham by the arm and using the leverage to flip the Red Ranger onto his back.
An audible snap could be heard as he collided with the ground, demorphing from the force of the blow. Seeing this, the Yellow Ranger gasped, a feeling of rage rising up within her.
"Graham!" She screamed in concern, as the five revived Metaloids formed up beside Reviveloid.
"If you thought they were tough to beat the first time, you ain't seen nothing, yet. With my upgrades, these Metaloids are unbreakable! You five, on the other hand…" Reviveloid began, charging up a gigantic energy blast in his hands as a terrified Colleen looked on. "…are NOT!"
With that, he unleashed the projectile, sending it hurtling towards the five Rangers. Soaring through the air, the blast split into three separate pieces, each one flying in a different direction.
The first one hit the ground in front of Graham and Colleen, demorphing the latter on impact and sending the two flying through the air in to an unknown area. The second collided with the ground behind Nate and Shawn, sending them hurtling through the sky and into another unknown area.
Watching as the third blast soared towards a terrified Colin, Cheetah Nick quickly transformed into his robot mode before dashing over to the Blue Ranger, scooping him up off the ground. Transforming back into his motorcycle mode, he drove as fast as he could in the opposite direction, carrying Colin to safety as the third blast shook the ground behind them.
Having seen all of this, Reviveloid let out a hearty laugh, turning to the other Metaloids before speaking.
"The fools think they've escaped our wrath, but they'll soon come to understand that it simply not the case." Lifting up his arm in the form of a signal, he continued, saying, "Go. Find them, and terminate them!"
"Gladly!" The five Metaloids said in unison, leaving the area in order to track down the Rangers.
Driving towards a nearby construction site, Cheetah Nick swerved to a halt, giving Colin time to hop off before transforming into robot mode. Making sure the coast was clear, the Buddy-Roid let out a sigh of relief, sitting down on a nearby stone slab before speaking.
"Looks like we lost 'em, huh?"
"It would appear so," Colin replied, wiping the sweat from his brow before continuing. "Thanks for saving me back there, Nick."
"No problem. My programming doesn't just restrict me to protecting Graham, y'know." Cheetah Nick said, letting out an awkward chuckle before sighing. "Speaking of Graham, I wonder if he and Colleen are alright…"
"I'm sure they're fine. Nate and Shawn, too." The Blue Ranger said reassuringly. "We'd better link back up with them as soon as possible, though, or that may no longer be the case."
"You're right." Cheetah Nick agreed. "Just give me a minute to recharge my batteries."
"I hate to break it to ya, but I don't think we have a minute!" Colin hollered, pointing to the distance where Burnerloid could clearly be seen approaching their position.
Hearing this, Cheetah Nick sprang to his feet, quietly following Colin as he snuck into the partially-built building in order to hide.
On the other side of town, Nate and Shawn laid unconscious underneath an overpass.
Blinking his eyes open as he came to, Nate fixed his glasses, which had shifted, before sitting up, examining his surroundings in order to determine where he was. Looking to his left, he saw Shawn, who was snoring away next to him.
Seeing that he was okay, the Gold Ranger breathed a sigh of relief, adjusting his posture in order to rest a little bit.
He started to zone out, the sound around him being nonexistent. It wasn't long before the sound of mechanical footsteps snapped him out of his trance. When the sound grew louder and louder, panic began to rise. Feeling his heartbeat in his ears, Nate reached over and proceeded to shake Shawn, to which the Silver Ranger opened his eyes.
"Five more minutes, Sister…" Shawn mumbled, not fully awake yet.
"Dude, wake up! We're in big trouble!" Nate shouted, grabbing his friend by the arm and dragging him to his feet, pulling him behind him as he started to run forward.
Coming to a little more, Shawn looked over his shoulder to see Needleloid and Cutterloid, who had spotted them and were now chasing after them at full-speed.
"Holy crap, this is bad!" He realized, eyes wide open in panic.
"Follow me! I have a plan!" Nate told him, receiving a nod in response.
"Hey, Graham. Wake up…"
Snapping his eyes open, Graham sat up, looking up to see Colleen standing there. Blinking a few times, he groaned in pain, as the Yellow Ranger looked at him with concern evident in her green eyes.
"Are you alright?" She asked, prompting him to quickly examine his body for any signs of injury.
"My arm…" Graham realized with a wince, spotting a small wound on his right forearm.
"That looks bad!" Colleen cried, rushing to her friend's aid.
"It's nothing…" Graham insisted, as Colleen helped him to his feet and lifted his arm over her shoulder. "I'm fine…"
"No you're not!" Colleen yelled, helping the boy walk. "You arm looks really hurt. It might even be broken."
"Leave me behind, then…" Graham grunted, causing the Yellow Ranger to stop in her tracks and give him a dirty look. "I mean it! I'm just gonna slow you down!"
"I don't care!" Colleen told him, continuing to walk with her wounded friend beside her. "I won't leave you! It's my fault you got hurt in the first place."
"No, it's not."
"Yes it is…" Colleen replied, looking down to the ground as tears begin to fall down her face. "You wouldn't have gotten hurt if you didn't try to protect me…"
"Colleen-"
"People have always gotten hurt because of me...you...Colin...and…" Colleen began, a lump forming in her throat mid-sentence. "...momma…"
"Colleen, your mom dying was not your fault!" Graham said, attempting to calm her down.
"Yes it was…" The Yellow Ranger said in-between sobs.
~Flashback Start~
"C'mon, mama, please!" A younger Colleen begged from the doorway to the laundry room, where her mother was busy washing clothes.
"Sorry, Colleen, no can do. I have a ton of laundry, and I still gotta go to the bank before it closes." Her mother told her, causing her to frown.
"But please?" Colleen asked again, not backing down. "Just for a little bit?"
"I'm sorry, sweetie, but the answer's no. I just can't take you to the park today."
"Please…?" Colleen asked once more, giving her mother the puppy dog eyes.
Taking a deep breath, her mother relented, saying, "Alright. I'll take you to the park."
"Yes!" The young girl cheered, causing her mother to smile.
"Go get your brother. I'm gonna grab the keys out of my bedroom," Donna said, eliciting a nod from her daughter.
"Colin, c'mon! We're going to the park!"
~Flashback End~
"When I was a kid…I used to get pretty lonely." Colleen told Graham shakily, trying and failing to stop the tears from coming. "See, my dad died before Colin and I were born, so it was just us and momma. Despite that, we were a happy family…but momma had to work extra hard to support us since she was the only one. Because of that, she was usually busy…and all I ever wanted was for her to play with me."
Watching her take a deep breath as the tears threatened to fall, Graham let out a sad sigh, sensing the pain that his Yellow Ranger was experiencing in that moment.
"Day after day, I would ask her to take me to the park…but the answer was always no. She was too busy. Looking back, I understand. I know from watching Logan that it's not easy being a single parent. But back then…I didn't know that. I only saw what I wanted, and what I wanted was for her to spend some time with me." Colleen explained, pausing again before continuing. "That day was no different. Momma said she was too busy…but I wouldn't take no for an answer. I begged, and pleaded, and didn't give up until she agreed to go. It wasn't her idea, or Colin's…it was mine. And after she died, I realized…she'd still be here if it wasn't for me…"
"Colleen-"
"It was my fault! I killed momma! If I hadn't begged her to take me to the park, she might still be alive…same with your arm. If I hadn't of tensed up…you wouldn't have had to protect me." Colleen mumbled, as a wave of tears flowed from her eyes. She had lost the ability to hold them back at this point. "Everyone I get close to…and everyone that I hold dear…sooner or later, they all get hurt because of me!"
"Colleen, that's not true!" Graham told her, looking her directly in the eye. "You were just a kid; you had no way of knowing. You can't blame your mom dying on yourself-if you do, the guilt will eat you alive!"
"What would you know about guilt?!" Colleen shouted, more tears falling down her face as she lost the last vestige of control over her emotions.
Taking a deep breath, Graham simply replied with, "I know because I…I used to blame myself, too."
Freezing in her tracks, Colleen gasped, her eyes widening in sudden realization. Forcing a smile, Graham took a shaky breath, holding back his own tears as they threatened to fall.
"When…when I first learned the truth about that day, I immediately blamed myself. I mean, even before I knew how it all really went down, I kind of thought it was my fault…but then, especially. It kept me up at night for weeks…I just sat there in bed, thinking about what happened and telling myself over and over again that it was my fault, that I had done it. That I killed mom. It nearly destroyed me right then and there."
"Then what happened…?"
"I did what I always do-I prayed." Graham replied, giving her another smile, this one truly genuine. "I asked God to comfort me, and to fix the mess of emotions rising up from inside me. It took awhile, but eventually, I calmed down. And even though I was home alone, I could feel it…God, he was…he was holding me. And I knew in that moment…it really wasn't my fault. Sure, it could've been prevented if I hadn't asked to go to the park…but there was nothing I really could've done that I didn't. Besides, I was just a kid. Same with you. I know you miss your mom-"
"I do…more than anything…"
"I know. I miss mine, too…but they're gone, Colleen, and they're not coming back. It's sad, and it hurts, and nothing will ever replace them in our hearts…but they're gone, and we have to live with that. We can either wallow in depression…or we can move on like they would've wanted us too." Graham said, taking one last breath before continuing with, "Our moms wanted us to live, Colleen. Not sit around missing them all the time-they wanted us to actually live. There'll always be a void in our hearts where they used to be, but their memory lives on in us…and the only way we can ever honor their sacrifice is to keep moving forward."
"Graham…" She murmured, her heart going out to her friend and fellow Ranger in that moment.
"Now c'mon," He said, changing the subject. "Let's go find the others."
With that, the two continued on their way, moving forward in order to locate a way out of the forest they had woken up in. Unbeknownst to the two, Tireloid and Springloid had seen the entire conversation from up in the trees, and had now hopped down in order to follow them.
"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Shawn questioned his Gold counterpart as they continued to run, being chased by Needleloid and Cutterloid.
"I sure hope so!" Nate hollered back, leaping inside the open door of a nearby pole barn and being quickly followed by Shawn. "How far away are they?"
Using his hyper-detection, Shawn calculated the distance between them and their pursuers, turning to Nate before replying with, "Only a few feet, give or take."
"Then it's time to act!" Nate declared, using his telekinesis to lift up several barrels inside the pole barn and throw them out the door they came in, spreading them out on the ground as the Metaloids rushed towards their position.
Watching the two robots as they tripped and fell onto their backs, Nate laughed in triumph, grabbing Shawn by the arm and pulling him behind him as he jumped back outside and continued running away.
"Haha, nice! I had a feeling they'd fall for that!"
"So did I." Nate replied, letting go of Shawn as the Silver Ranger began to match his pace. "They're nowhere near being down for the count, though, so we've gotta hurry. Let's find the others!"
Meanwhile, back at the construction site, Colin and Cheetah Nick were hiding from Burnerloid, who was searching for them. Sensing they were nearby, the Metaloid began discharging short bursts of fire from his flame-arm, using the resulting smoke in an attempt to draw them out.
"You can hide all ya want, pardners!" The robot called out in his southern accent. "Sooner or later, I'm gonna find ya!"
Hiding behind one of the pillars of the building, Colin turned his head to look at Nick, who nodded, immediately knowing what the Blue Ranger was thinking.
Catching a stray propane tank as the Buddy-Roid threw it to him, Colin rolled it towards Burnerloid, who snapped to attention immediately. Not realizing what the object rolling towards him was, Burnerloid sprayed it with fire, creating an explosion that caused the entire front half of the incomplete building to collapse on top of him.
"Yes! He fell for it!" Colin hollered, pumping his fist in excitement as Nate and Shawn ran into the area. Seeing them, he rushed out of the building, shouting, "Guys!"
"Colin! Nick! You're alive!" Shawn chirped as the two emerged from the ruined building.
"Of course we are." Colin said somewhat arrogantly, folding his arms. "Was there ever any doubt?"
"I…don't know…pardner…" Said the muffled voice of Burnerloid, as he struggled to free himself from the rubble. Rising from the ashes with a laugh, he spoke again, saying, "WAS THERE?!"
"Shit, I can't believe he actually survived that…" Colin muttered in surprise, clenching his fists and adopting a fighting stance.
Tapping his blue counterpart on the shoulder, Nate replied with, "He isn't the only one we've got to worry about. Look who just caught up with us."
Looking over his shoulder to see Needleloid and Cutterloid, Colin let out a low growl. He wasn't exactly thrilled with the odds in that moment.
"Could this get any worse?" Shawn exclaimed, just before Reviveloid warped in from out of nowhere.
"You had to ask!" Nate said cynically, rolling his eyes before shifting his gaze to Colin. "What do we do?"
"The only thing we can do-stand our ground!" Colin said, brandishing his morpher. "It's Morphin' Time!"
"Install: Spy-Busters!"
~Three-Way Morphing Sequence~
"Let's do this!" Nate hollered as he and Shawn brandished their Drive Blades, gripping the weapons tightly before charging into battle.
"I'll call for back-up!" Colin told them, firing a few shots at Burnerloid and Reviveloid with his Spy-Blaster before pressing a button on his Transpod. "Captain Shields, this is Colin! Nate, Shawn, and I are in need of immediate back-up! Can you locate Graham and Colleen?"
"I'll sure try," Captain Shields told him over the comm-link, turning to Lieutenant Rose before saying, "Can you pinpoint their location?"
"Already on it, sir!" Lieutenant Rose hollered, typing in a series of commands on her computer terminal before turning her gaze back to him. "Graham and Colleen are currently making their way through a forest a couple of klicks away from the others. They'll be there soon…but Tireloid and Springloid are right on their tail."
"Understood," Captain Shields replied, turning his comm-link back on before saying, "Colin, Graham and Colleen are almost to your position-but they're being pursued by Tireloid and Springloid. Can you hold out for a few minutes?"
"I don't know!" Colin grunted from the other end of the comm-link, sounding tired as he slashed at Burnerloid with his Spy-Saber. "But we'll try!"
"Just hang in there!" Lieutenant Woods told him after tapping into the comm-link. "I'm sure the others will be there soon!"
Back in the forest, Graham and Colleen were slowly walking through a clearing, trying to make their way out of the wooded area they'd found themselves in. Hearing his Morphin' Brace emit a beeping sound, Graham raised his morpher to his face, activating its comm-link.
"Go for Graham,"
"Graham, this is Captain Shields." The Captain said from the other end, pausing for a moment before continuing. "Colin and the others are in trouble-they're pinned down at a nearby construction site and they need your help!"
"Roger that-we're on our way." Graham told him before hanging up. He then turned to Colleen and was about to open his mouth when a lone energy blast flew over their heads, having been fired by an unseen attacker. Looking over his shoulder to see Tireloid and Springloid, Graham panicked, saying, "Colleen, we have to hurry! Hop on, I'll use my superspeed!"
Turning to face him as Springloid fired another energy blast in their direction, Colleen replied, "No can do, your arm is hurt too badly! I have another idea!"
With that, she grabbed the boy and hoisted him onto her back, gripping him tightly before vaulting into the air using her super-agility. As she drifted back down to the ground, Colleen slammed her feet against the dirt, using them like springs to propel herself forward once more. Repeating the process over and over, she jumped across the clearing towards the construction site, while the two Metaloids chasing them continued to shoot at them.
"This…looks pretty bad, you guys," Colin said weakly, moving to dodge an attack from Reviveloid only to be flipped onto his back. Struggling back to his feet, he backed up until he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Nate and Shawn, before saying, "I don't know if we can keep going like this,"
Clapping his hands together, Reviveloid said, "Oh, finally ready to admit defeat? That's wonderful. Just drop your weapons, and your suffering will be over! Sure, we're gonna have to kill you, but that doesn't mean it can't be quick and painless!"
"Yeah, Reviveloid's right." Needleloid chimed in, raising his needle-arm and pointing it at Nate menacingly. "I can always numb you three, first!"
"That won't be necessary!" Colleen hollered as she landed next to Colin and the others, carrying Graham on her back. Waiting for her red counterpart to hop off, she looked to her twin before saying, "I started this day off crying, but I won't cry anymore!"
Clenching her fist as she brandished her Morphin' Brace, she continued by saying, "I used to blame myself for mom's death, but beating myself up over something I couldn't control won't fix anything! Now I know that the only way to honor her memory…is by doing what she'd want me to do and keep moving forward!"
"So that's what this was about…" Colin realized, as Colleen turned her gaze to Graham.
"Shall we?"
"Ladies first," Graham smirked, brandishing his own Morphin' Brace before giving her a nod.
"Alright then," She replied, giving him a smile of her own as she turned to face Reviveloid. "It's Morphin' Time!"
"Install: Spy-Busters!"
~Splitscreen Morphing Sequence~
"Alright guys, fall in!" Graham hollered, materializing his Spy-Saber before continuing. "Savannah Hunter! Buster Red!"
"Jungle Warrior! Buster Blue!"
"Field Jumper! Buster Yellow!"
"Rhinoceros Power! Buster Gold!"
"Stag Power! Buster Silver!"
"Power Rangers: Spy-Busters!" The five shouted in unison, as multicolored fireworks shot up into the air behind them.
Twirling his Spy-Saber in his hand before gripping it tightly, Graham spoke, saying, "Objective: Take out Reviveloid and his Metaloid minions, by any means necessary! Ready…?"
"Nice alliteration…" Cheetah Nick reflected from the sidelines, as the others summoned their own weapons.
"GO!" The five hollered, splitting into two different groups in order to take on their foes.
Using his Spy-Saber, Colin rushed towards Burnerloid, slashing wildly with his right hand and using his left to throw punches. Beside him, Nate and Shawn dashed towards Needleloid and Cutterloid, locking blades with the robots and fighting for dominance.
"You guys thinking what I'm thinking?" Colin asked as he back-flipped away from Burnerloid, quickly being joined by his gold and silver counterparts. Seeing them nod in response, he pressed a button on his Spy-Saber, while they did the same with their Drive Blades.
Charging up a final attack, Colin hollered, "Spy-Saber: Stakeout…SLASH!"
Doing the same with their weapons, Nate and Shawn stood their ground, saying, "Drive Blade: Swerving…SLASH!"
Slashing forward towards their foes, they unleashed attacks that cut through the three like hot knives through butter.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Graham and Colleen were working in tandem, using their Spy-Blasters to fire repeatedly on Tireloid and Springloid.
"You can't hit…what you can't see!" Tireloid boasted, using his lightning-fast reflexes to dodge each of Graham's blasts. Seeing this, Graham steadied his grip on his weapon, intently studying Tireloid's movements before aiming directly next to where the Metaloid currently was. Firing a blast of energy just as Tireloid sped past, he hit the robot, causing him to stagger while screaming in pain. "Yowzers! That hurt, you brat!"
"That's kind of the point," Graham said while smirking under his helmet, firing another blast at Tireloid while he wasn't paying attention. Beside him, Colleen struggled to aim at Springloid, as the latter leapt repeatedly into the air using his spring-legs, appearing as if he were taunting the girl.
"You can't hit me, Yellow!" The Metaloid teased, hopping out of the way of one of her blasts. "You're gonna lose and get all of your friends killed, just like your mother!"
"That's not gonna work, Springloid! I'm smarter than that," Colleen countered, steadying her aim in order to shoot Springloid in the foot. This caused the energetic robot to topple to the ground, defeated, as she stepped closer towards him. "Now, time to make you regret ever trying that."
With that, her and Graham twisted a dial on the barrels of their Spy-Blasters, causing them to start glowing with bright, golden energy. Pointing them at their respective Metaloids, the two shouted in unison, saying, "Spy-Blaster: Snapshot…STRIKE!"
Waiting until their finishers were done charging, the two pulled the triggers, sending two beams of light flying towards their targets, who both promptly exploded in a burst of flame.
Seeing this, Shawn pumped his fist, shouting, "Alllright! We did it! We beat them!"
"Not quite," Reviveloid countered, rubbing his hands together before pointing his palms outward, unleashing waves of energy that struck the ground, reforming the five defeated Metaloids and reviving them for the second time that day.
"What…but how?" Colin questioned, thoroughly confused.
"It's the pads in his hands," Nate replied, pointing to the makeshift defibrillators on Reviveloid's palms. "If we destroy those, he won't be able to bring them back anymore."
"Well then what're we waiting for? Let's take 'em out!" Shawn hollered.
"It's not that simple, Shawn." Graham pointed out. "They're not just gonna let us disable Reviveloid's one useful party trick."
"Then leave it to me," Colleen said firmly, causing the others to look at her. Turning to face them, she said, "I have a plan. Do you trust me?"
Looking to the others, who all three nodded at him, Graham turned to look at Colleen before saying, "We'll follow your lead,"
"Alright then." Colleen replied, turning back around to face the Metaloids. "Nate, Shawn! Lay down covering fire!"
"Already on it, Colleen!" Nate told her, as he and Shawn began firing at the Metaloids with their Morphin' Blasters.
"Colin, you guard me and Graham."
"Rog'!" Colin hollered, bounding in front of his red and yellow counterparts and stretching his arms out to block them.
Looking to Graham, Colleen asked him, "Can you still move your arm?"
"It kinda hurts, but I'm still fully functional," Graham informed her with a nod. "Want me to throw you in the air?"
"My thoughts exactly," Colleen told him. "Ready…"
"Set…"
"GO!" Colleen hollered, vaulting onto Graham's hands before summoning all of her strength. Using her super-agility, she vaulted into the air, gliding down towards Reviveloid with her foot jutting out in his direction. "Take this!"
Delivering a flying kick to Reviveloid's stomach, she knocked the Metaloid onto his back, before using her Spy-Blaster to fire on both of his hands, destroying the pads.
Seeing this, the robot gasped, looking up just in time to watch as the revived Metaloids faded away vanishing into thin air within mere seconds.
Recognizing the cost of his arrogance as he stumbled back up to his feet, Reviveloid took one last look at his palms before saying, "…Well, scrap."
Seeing this, Colleen let out a laugh before saying, "Not so tough now, are ya? Now…it's time to finish you once and for all! Nate, Shawn, take it away!"
"Roger that," The two replied in unison, raising their Morphin' Blasters as they charged another finishing attack. Aiming the weapons at Reviveloid, they spoke again, saying, "Morphin' Blaster: Finale…FINISH!"
With that, they pulled the triggers, launching dual energy blasts that tore straight through Reviveloid's armor, melting him down in a matter of seconds. Now nothing more than a burnt out husk, the defeated Metaloid let out one last gasp, before falling to the ground, crumpled and broken.
Standing over his remains with her hands on her hips, Colleen spoke, saying, "That's what you get,"
Having witnessed the entire battle from HQ, Captain Shields tapped into their comms, saying, "Nice work, Rangers, but you know it isn't over, yet. Get ready for a Megazord battle."
"Roger that!" The five shouted in unison, as Enter used his tendril-arms to resurrect Reviveloid from afar. Watching as the Metaloid leapt into the air and boarded a giant robot, they stood their ground, waiting for their Zords to appear before jumping up and boarding them.
Installing their different control consoles into the vehicles, the five readied themselves for the coming standoff. Pressing a series of buttons inside the cockpit of his Cheetah Zord, Graham spoke, saying, "Artillery Rush Megazord Formation: Activate!"
~Megazord Formation Sequence~
"Artillery Rush Megazord: Online!" The five declared, each manning their different stations as they piloted their Megazord into battle. "Wrist-turrets, fire!"
Gripping the controls of his robot tightly as energy-bullets pinged off of its armor, Reviveloid said, "Sorry, brats. I've still got one more trick up my sleeve."
Pressing a series of buttons, the Metaloid activated new defibrillators in his robot's hands, summoning brand new, giant copies of Tireloid, Burnerloid, Springloid, Needleloid, and Cutterloid that proceeded to surround the Artillery Rush Megazord on all sides before launching a series of energy-attacks at it.
Seeing this, the five rangers panicked, each pressing a series of random buttons in an attempt at evasive maneuvers. Failing to dodge the attacks, the Megazord took several bad hits, damaging its armor and causing several alarms to start blaring from the inside of its cockpit.
"Oh, no! Our armor's been torn to shreds!" Shawn exclaimed, fear evident in his voice. "If we take even one more hit, we're toast!"
"Then we've gotta end this thing right now!" Colleen replied, tightening his grip on her controls. "Let's give him everything we've got!"
"Right!" The four boys shouted in tandem, performing the necessary steps to charge their finishing attack. "Victory Blast, Charging!"
Waiting as golden beams of light began to fill the barrel of the Beetle Striker I's tank cannon, the five spoke again, saying, "Victory Blast, Away!"
With that, they launched the ball of energy, which hurtled towards Reviveloid's robot.
Acting quickly, Reviveloid maneuvered his robot's hands so that they could block the attack, saying, "Ha! Your…attack…means…noth-oh crap I fell for it again!"
Watching helplessly as the ball of energy cut straight through his defibrillators, deleting the other Metaloids, Reviveloid managed to stammer, "I'm d-dead…"
"You've got that right!" Colleen hollered as the energy ball worked its way through his robot's armor, causing it to go critical and eject Reviveloid, who fell to his death before fading away into streams of data. Seeing this, Shawn jumped up in excitement, high-fiving Nate as Colin spoke.
"Good job, sis."
Removing her helmet and saying quick "thank you" to her twin, Colleen turned to Graham, who gave her a thumbs up, before standing to his feet and folding his arms, as he typically did after a Megazord battle.
"Mission: Complete!" The Red Ranger declared, as Shawn continued to cheer.
~Epilogue~
Walking down the grassy hills of the graveyard with Colin at her side, Colleen stopped in her tracks the second a certain tombstone came into view. Seeing the words "Donna Voice, loving mother and widow. 6/3/1975-11/3/2006" as confirmation, the Yellow Ranger turned to her twin, who handed her a bouquet of flowers.
"You're not coming?" She asked, prompting her brother to shake his head.
"I haven't been able to visit her grave for years, now. It…brings back too many bad memories." Colin told her, giving her a small smile. "Say hi to her for me, though. Alright?"
"Got it." Colleen nodded solemnly, turning and slowly approaching her mother's grave.
Kneeling down in front of the tombstone, she cleared her throat, summoning the courage to speak.
"Hey, mom, it's me. Colleen." The girl began somewhat awkwardly, gripping the bouquet in her hands before placing it on the ground gently. "These are for you. I just came by to say hi, again. Ask how you're doing…I know you can't answer, but a small part of me hopes you can at least hear me…what's heaven like, anyway? Is it great…? Just as great as you imagined? More importantly…can Colin and I come join you up there, someday…?"
With that, she bowed her head, unable to stop as a single tear rolled down her cheek. Looking back up, she continued, saying, "I uh…I've been doing fine down here. Great, actually. I…I've made new friends, and Colin and I finally got to become Power Rangers so we can avenge you…we'll defeat Psycho soon, I promise. Anyway, I love you, mom…see you soon…"
Letting out a sad sigh as more tears streamed down her face, Colleen closed her eyes, feeling the cold wind blow through her hair. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she opened her eyes and looked up to see Graham, who looked as if he had been crying, as well.
"Hey…" Colleen said awkwardly, patting the ground next to her and waiting for her red counterpart to sit down. Looking at him, she spoke up, saying, "What're you doing here, Graham?"
"Nothing much. Just got done visiting my mom, just like you." He replied, giving her a forced smile. "It's not easy letting them go, is it?"
"Nope." Colleen said, shaking her head. "But it's like you said…we gotta stay strong."
"Right…" Graham said, taking a deep breath. Opening his mouth, he spoke once more, saying, "Y'know…I know this might be hard to believe after everything's that happened to us, but…I know for a fact that God still loves you. Colin, too."
"I know…" Colleen replied, taking a shaky breath before continuing. "It's just hard to understand, sometimes…I mean, momma was such a good person. Why'd God let her die so young…?"
"Well, I don't know. I asked my aunt the same thing, though. You wanna hear what she said?" Graham asked, eliciting a nod from his yellow counterpart. Seeing this, he continued, saying, "She told me, 'When you go into the garden looking for flowers, which ones do you choose?'"
"The most beautiful ones…" Colleen realized, letting out a bit of a laugh despite herself. "You're right…I just miss her."
"That's okay. I miss my mom, too." Graham sighed. "But I know she's in a better place, now. Same with your mom. Anyway, I know you may not feel up to it right now, but Nate and Shawn offered to take everyone to the Arcade, so if you start to feel better…"
"I'll go," Colleen said, shocking the boy. "Just let me go home and grab a shower, I feel really gross when I cry."
"Alright, then." Graham replied, standing up before holding out his hand for his yellow counterpart. Taking it, she helped herself up, and the two left the cemetery together as Enter watched from afar.
"Pfft. Human philosophy." Enter scoffed, crumpling up a rose in his hand and scattering the crushed petals in the wind as he turned to leave. "I'll never understand why humans are so poetic."
With that, he warped away, and the cold wind continued to blow as afternoon turned into early evening.
*Cue Ending Theme: "Used to Be" by Arrows to Athens*
(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, Graham, Colin, and Colleen can be seen in a large, gray expanse, all three of them watching a recording of their mothers' deaths with solemn looks on their faces. Out of nowhere, raindrops begin to fall, filling the screen with color as the vocals start.*)
~Take a breath, take a long look around before you step,
Cuz the tide is coming, swallowing the ground.~
(*Graham whips his head around desperately as water begins to fill the room, threatening to drown the three teens. Beating on the walls, he tries to break free, to no avail*)
~And there's no way to tell if we will drown tonight,
Or we'll be found tonight.~
(*An image of Graham, Colin, and Colleen's dead bodies drifting along in the water can be seen, only to disappear a moment later, the whole thing being revealed as a nightmare as Graham sits up in bed, screaming.*)
~So come in close, if the current gets us, then it get us both,
We can't wait here anymore.~
(*As Graham walks down the sidewalk, he spots Colleen off in the distance. Gazing at her longingly, he rushes over to her, only for a wall of solid energy to separate them, causing him to frown. The Vaglass come out of nowhere, storming the area and firing at them both. The two look up, realizing they have no choice but to fight.*)
~So if the waves come, let 'em take us,
As they cover you and me, and they pull us underneath.~
(*Graham, Colin, and Colleen rush to fight the Buglars, instantly morphing as they punch and kick the footsoldiers into submission. Seeing Enter, Graham charges him, slashing wildly. However, he is thrown onto his back by the Avatar, who walks up to him, pointing a laser pistol at his head. Demorphing, Graham grimaces, accepting his defeat.*)
~I hope that fate will forgive us, for tempting the sea,
I hope that they won't forget us!~
(*Graham turns to Colin and Colleen as the three are dragged into Hyperspace by Enter. No doubt, the three are to be executed for opposing the Vaglass. Bowing his head, Graham prays a desperate prayer, as Colleen looks at him, a single tear running down her cheek.*)
~No, we can't go back,
To the way it used to be.~
(*Waking up on the grass, Graham stands up, realizing it was all another dream. Looking to his right, he sees Colin and Colleen, the latter of the two waving him over with a smile. Taking a quick look at a picture of his mother in his pocket, Graham puts it away before joining his friends, a smile on his face despite himself. Seeing this, Colin pats him on the back, and Colleen reaches for his hand. Graham nervously takes it, squeezing it lightly as the three friends walk towards the sunset, the song ending as the camera pans away.*)
*End Ending Theme: "Used to Be" by Arrows to Athens*
A/N: So, yeah…this took a lot longer than I initially expected it to. I can explain, though! See, I got really busy this summer with three separate trips (the first being a visit to my Uncle in Atlanta, the second being my final year of the OYD's Sr. High Church Camp in Buckeye Lake, and the third being North American Youth Congress 2017 in Indianapolis.), plus I recently got a job and stuff so I've been somewhat pre-occupied. For that, I must apologize. That being said, I hope you enjoyed the episode. I plan to start and hopefully finish the next one soon, and then I'll switch gears (no pun intended) and work on the next episode of the new version of Kamen Rider Gadget. I will then proceed to alternate between that story and this one until both are completed.
One more thing before I sign off-I won't be updating as much as I used to, anymore. I know, I know, fanfiction is awesome, and I looove writing chapters for you guys, but I have a job now as well as plans to find my calling (as you may've noticed, I'm starting to take my religion a lot more seriously), so I can no longer devote 100% of my time to stories like I used to. That being said, I still have a huge passion for story-telling, and will continue to work on this story until its completion. My updates will just be a little less frequent than they were prior to now.
With that said, we've pretty much dealt with all the post-chapter shenanigans, now. The only thing I really have left to say is review if you feel like it, and stay tuned for the next one. I'll be keeping you all in my prayers. Stay safe out there! Peace-xXRocketShark216Xx, the Introverted, Apostolic Power Rangers Fan :)
Next Time, on Power Rangers Spy-Busters: Colin and Shawn step into a teleporter in order to make it to HQ in time for patrol, only for it to malfunction, stranding them in the middle of the Antarctic! Finding a seemingly abandoned outpost amidst the barren, snowy drifts, they enter inside only to discover its dark secret-it's full of Vaglass activity! Can the two work together to find out what's going on, while Captain Shields and the others struggle to bring them back home? Find out, in Episode 11: Malfunction!