Enjoy!

Chapter 26: Things Not Said

With Andrew holed up studying the tablet that Mack, Rose, Dax and Will had found in Egypt, the Rangers were enjoying a peaceful morning with nothing to do.

"My dad and I went camping 12 years ago, look," Mack had decided to show them the photographs of himself and his father when Mack had been young. He set the book down on the table in front of them, smiling brightly.

"Hey, that's a big fish," Tyzonn commented as they saw the huge fish that Mack held, that was almost the same size as him.

"This photo is really..." Dax lifted the album up, groaning a little at its weight. "I dunno...weird," he commented.

"Weird?" Mack echoed as Ari stood on his other size.

"Dax is right," the Ninja agreed.

"See? The tree casts a shadow, but you don't," Dax pointed out the lack of a shadow that Mack and Andrew possessed.

"Are you trying to say I created this photo?" Mack looked insulted. "I landed that fish! I should know, because I was there!" he insisted. "And, so was my dad! And Spencer took the photo! So..."

"We aren't saying that Mack," Ari laughed. "It's just-" before she could argue any further, Spencer cleared his throat.

"You are all needed below," he told them. They nodded, and Dax set down the album before hurrying out. Spencer sighed, looking at the album. He walked over to it, and lifted the book, looking worried.

"What are you hiding?" he jolted as Ari seemed to appear behind him.

"Next time, a warning that you are attempting to sneak up on me would be lovely," Spencer turned around quickly, shutting the book as Ari looked suspicious. "Or are you attempting to send an old man to an early grave?" he inquired. Ari couldn't help but laugh.

"Spencer, the way you are, you'll probably outlast all of us," she teased him.

"That may be, but before that happens, you are needed-"

"Below, I know," Ari rolled her eyes and walked off, but not before shooting him another suspicious glance.

The five made their way into the base, where Rose was working on something while Andrew and Ronny worked on trying to find the Star of Isis, which the tablet was supposed to lead them to.

"What's happening guys?" Ari smiled as she landed, followed by Dax.

"I'm designing a new super weapon," Rose smiled excitedly. "I'm combining the power of the Sentinel Sword, with some new robotics I've designed!" she explained.

"And people question how I'm human," Ari muttered, making her smile even wider.

"Can I use it?" Dax asked excitedly, and Rose's smile fell.

"Not unless you want to get fried like a Sunday morning egg," she replied. Dax still looked excited as Mack stared at her in alarm. Ari then elbowed him, noticing his expression.

"What? I'm thinking about it!" Dax laughed.

"No need to think Dax," Andrew turned to them suddenly, having heard the entire conversation. "It's not designed for humans. Or whatever Ari is," he added when she bounced, raising her hand.

"Boring," she pouted as the others laughed.

"The power is way too strong. It's to enhance Zord capabilities," Andrew stated firmly.

"Aww...it looks like it had the potential to be a pretty decent battilizer too..." Ari complained.

"Battle-what?" Mack glanced to her curiously.

"You know, the special weapons and powers that only Reds seem to get?" Ari asked, and was responded to by blank stares. "How does nobody know their history anymore?" she asked, throwing her hands up in exasperation. Suddenly the alarm went off, making them look around quickly. "I know, me too," she patted the computer softly as Andrew frowned.

"There's trouble guys," Ronny warned, quickly setting down the large book she had been holding, and they hurried off to find out.

"The source is coming from inside!" Will called as he used his Tracker to locate the source of the disturbance.

"Let's go get them," Dax nodded, only for Mack to stop him.

"No no, stop," he shook his head. "This is too easy," the Red Ranger frowned. "Feels like a trap," he took a couple of steps forward. "I'll check out the back, you guys see what's out front," he told them.

"Ok..." Ari raised an eyebrow, but they did as their leader instructed and hurried to the front.

"It's kinda quiet out here," Ronny commented as they looked around. Nobody was about. "Too quiet..." she added.

"Don't say that!" both Ari and Dax told her at the same time. "Whenever someone says that in the movies, something bad happens," Dax warned.

"It's not just in the movies dude," Ari nodded, before they heard a laugh. Looking around, they found a blue and white monster standing before them.

"See?" Dax and Ari chorused heavily.

"Let's Ranger up," Tyzonn called. "Ready?"

"Ready!"

"OVERDRIVE, ACCELERATE!" they Morphed and ran to fight the monster. It continued to laugh as it easily overwhelmed them, fast and strong. It deflected each of their weapons, and with a laugh knocked Rose and Dax's blasts out of the way. Tyzonn leapt overhead and blasted it, finally catching the monster off guard.

"Drive Claws!"

"Drive Vortex!" Ronny and Dax kept the monster off guard, forcing it backwards.

"Drive Slammer!"

"Drive Blades!"

"Drive Detector!" Will, Ari and Tyzonn leapt in next, their weapons making contact.

"Maybe that'll shut you up," Ari spun her blades and swung up, knocking it directly into the path of Rose's Drive Geyser, which shattered it. Suddenly, it began to glow blue, reassembling and growing much larger.

"Oh dude, it's Kamdor and Miratrix!" Ari realised, recognising their signature move. The computer-like monster laughed as they backed up.

"Mack, we need you!" Ronny yelled into her Tracker.

"Can't it wait?" Mack called back, seeming to be in a battle of his own.

"No!" Ronny groaned, and before long, the BattleFleet Zords showed up, with Mack steering them straight towards the battle.

"How's this?" he called down to them with a laugh. All but Tyzonn ran towards the Battlefleet, only for the monster to laugh.

"Not so fast!" the monster laughed. Cables flew from his hands, wrapping around the Battlefleet and stopping it dead as the others got into their individual Zords. "And here's a gift from Kamdor!" it declared, firing blue electricity down the cables. Each of the Rangers cried out as the electricity ran through the Zords, and hit them as well.

"We've gotta separate!" Will yelled. The cables were ripped apart as the Zords split apart, and the monster screeched as he crashed to the ground. The Rangers then combined to form their Megazord, standing upright against the fallen monster.

"Go!" they blasted the monster, who shrieked as he was destroyed.

"Is it just me, or are we getting stronger?" Dax asked as the group made their way to the command centre in the elevator. "We defeated Kamdor and my ex faster than usual," he commented.

"Yeah we did," Will agreed, but didn't sound as confident as usual. "It was almost...too easy," he mused.

"It was way faster than usual," Ari nodded in agreement as the elevator stopped and the doors slid open. "We didn't even see Miratrix and Kamdor, and normally they come out and help their losers fight. And what were they doing there in the first place?" she asked, looking to the others.

"Yeah, it was just an old computer base. It's got nothing to do with the search for the Jewels," Rose agreed. As they walked into the base, the lights suddenly went out, before returning to normal.

"What just happened?" Tyzonn asked curiously.

"I think we found out why it was too easy," Ari sighed.

"Looks like we picked up a computer virus..." Andrew frowned as he got to his feet and looked about slowly. "It shorted out our electrical grid. Luckily the auxiliary unit kicked in," he told them, and breathed out. "Everything looks back to normal," he nodded.

"Good thing," Mack grinned as they walked back over to the computer.

"Better check the Battlefleet. That's probably how they infected us," Ari suggested.

"Good thing," they glanced around at Mack again, laughing slightly. "Good thing," he repeated, and their smiles fell. Dax went to speak, but Andrew grabbed his shoulder suddenly, looking worried as he walked towards his . "Good thing," he nodded, and turned away, before repeating it again.

"Out, now," Andrew ordered.

"What? But-"

"Now!" Andrew yelled as Rose attempted to protest. Exchanging confused looks, the Rangers shuffled out, looking worriedly at Mack before piling back into the elevator. As the doors shut, Spencer hurried in as Andrew looked frantic.

"I wonder just what that was all about," Dax commented as the Rangers waited up in the Rec Room, baffled by the events that had transpired downstairs.

"Which part? Mack stuck in a loop, or Mr. Hartford freaking out about it?" Ari asked, leaning against the wall. Something didn't feel right, and she had a suspicion that it had something to do with how Spencer had been acting earlier that day.

"Ari and I could always-"

"No," Rose stopped Will before he could suggest anything. "You're not going to go spy on them. I'm sure...I'm sure Mack is alright," she looked down at her hands as she swallowed hard. Ronny reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, smiling reassuringly.

"He'll be fine," the Yellow Ranger told her.

"I wonder what happened to him. It was quite strange that only he seemed to be affected," Tyzonn commented.

"Maybe Miratrix and Kamdor did something in their fight with him. None of us were there," Will suggested. All of them fell silent, worried for their leader. After a few minutes, Mack walked into the room. "Hey, welcome back to the land of the living," Will grinned as he and Tyzonn pushed themselves up from the sofa they had been leaning against. Rose jumped to her feet, looking relieved as they all rushed over to him. "You alright?" Will asked, seeing Mack's strange look.

"Yeah, yeah...good as new," Mack nodded, but his smile was wry.

"Good to have you back," Tyzonn smiled at him.

"Thanks..." Mack sighed.

"Mack? What's wrong?" Rose asked him curiously.

"Yeah dude, you're acting...off," Ari commented.

"Yeah...I've got something really important to tell you guys," Mack looked up at them. Before he could figure out how to put it, the alarm went off.

"Hold that thought Mack," Will sighed. Rose gave him another worried look, before walking on.

"Hey, now we have something to look forward to when we get back!" Ronny smiled brightly. "Come on," she walked past him with the others.

"I'm not coming with you," they all looked around in surprise.

"What? But Mack..." Ari frowned. "We're a team, and you're our leader," she pointed out.

"I'll explain later," Mack told them with a small smile. "You guys go ahead," he nodded to them. Ari frowned even more, before sighing. She recognised the look on his face. They weren't going to be able to convince him to go with them, and something seemed to be on his mind, distracting him.

"Come on guys, let's go," she pushed Dax and Ronny as they watched Mack.

"But..." Rose started.

"Firefly's right, we have a job to do," Will spoke loudly, and they sighed, but nodded and followed him out.

"I appreciate that you've got my back, but dude, seriously, enough with the nickname," Ari complained, making him grin.

The Rangers flew in the SHARC towards Florida, where the disturbance had come from, and when they landed, already Morphed, they found Kamdor and Miratrix searching.

"Remind me to thank the Rangers when I see them again!" Kamdor declared as they walked through the Everglades. "Their decoding the Tablet was a big help!" he exclaimed.

"Thank us yourself!" Will yelled, and the two looked around quickly.

"Thought that we couldn't find you after you messed with our computers?" Rose called to them. "You thought wrong!" she yelled.

"Let's see...six against two? That doesn't seem fair!" Kamdor yelled, and performed a series of hand gestures. When he pushed out, six monsters appeared in front of them. "Attack!" he roared. They snarled and ran to fight the Rangers, who began to fight them one-on-one.

"Drive Blades!" Ari summoned her swords and spun, only for one of the swords to be caught by her opponent. With a laugh, it then kicked her backwards. She landed in the grass and looked up to see Kamdor running off. "Will! Kamdor's getting away!" she yelled to the Black Ranger.

"Not on my watch! Hovertek Cycle!" he summoned his flying vehicle and followed the blue exiled Ninja. As Ari got to her feet, and found not only the warrior-monster, but Miratrix.

"Oh great, you too?" Ari sighed, and before Miratrix could respond, she was on her feet, grabbing her swords and rushing at the two. Kicking Miratrix aside, Ari struck the monster with her swords, only to be knocked away with a powerful hit.

"Give it up Gold Ranger, you won't beat us!" Miratrix warned her as she approached Ari, her own swords drawn.

"Dude you are like a broken record," Ari rolled her eyes as she blocked Miratrix's attack, only to be blasted aside by the other monster.

"I know we don't usually call out the Zords..." Dax started, only to be interrupted by the monster he was fighting. "Until we have to go big but don't you think that just this once, it wouldn't hurt?" he cried out.

"Well, there's no rule against it!" Ari yelled back.

"Yeah, good idea," Ronny agreed, pushing herself up from the ground as she grabbed her Tracker. "Send the Zords!" she yelled. However, nothing happened. "They're not responding!" she cried out, and was tossed to the ground.

"We've got problems!" Rose realised, and was blasted off her feet.

"The virus! It must have..." Ari stopped as she used her swords to block the monster's foot from slamming into her. "Blocked off the Zords too!" she groaned. She managed to push it back, making it stumble into Miratrix, which allowed Ari enough time to get to her feet. However, as soon as she did, Tyzonn was tossed into her.

"Sorry Ari," the Mercury Ranger groaned.

"My bruises have bruises..." Ari whimpered.

"We gotcha guys," Dax, Ronny and Rose helped them up. Miratrix smirked, approaching them again, only to be grabbed from behind.

"Stop!" Will yelled, but she shoved him in front of her and kicked him away. Will skidded along the grass, coming to a stop in front of the other Rangers.

"This is not going as well as we'd hoped!" Tyzonn gulped as they helped Will up. As the group stalked towards the Rangers, they were suddenly blasted from the side.

"Surprise!" Mack yelled. "Sorry I'm late!" he held his blaster up, ready to fire it again.

"You really think one more Ranger is gonna make a difference?" Miratrix smirked.

"Yes! Because I have this!" Mack revealed the Sentinel Sword.

"Mack! That's robot technology!" Rose cried out in horror. "You can't-"

"Red Sentinel Ranger! Activate!" Mack ignored her and activated it.

"No, Mack!" Rose screamed, certain that it was going to fry him as predicted. However, the sword changed forms to reveal the Sentinel Knight, who then combined with Mack's Ranger suit.

"Dude! Battilizer!" Ari exclaimed as the Rangers gasped in shock.

"I'm ready if you are!" Mack looked down to the chest-plate on his new armour. It opened up to reveal the Sentinel Knight's face.

"I've been ready for centuries," he replied confidently, before the plate closed again. Mack rushed at the monsters, easily cutting through each of them and destroying them as Miratrix backed away in fear. Soon, only three monsters remained.

"Sentinel Ranger, Sword Mode!" Mack summoned two gold and red swords, easily dodging the attacks the monsters fired his way, and destroyed two more. Holding out his swords, Mack opened the chest plate again and summoned a tornado. Using it and even more power, Mack destroyed the last of the monsters.

"I'm getting outta here," Miratrix decided, turning to run, only to find her way blocked by Ronny.

"Hah! You're not going anywhere honey," she taunted. Miratrix turned to run right, only to find Will blocking her way. Miratrix breathed heavily, terrified as she found her path blocked from all directions.

"Dude, that was awesome!" Ari laughed as Mack stood beside her. "Thanks for the help," she smiled.

"Yeah...I had to get my head on straight," Mack admitted. "Which is more true than I'd like to admit," he laughed.

"Hey!" they looked around as Kamdor shouted to them.

"He's got the jewel!" Tyzonn noticed the red Jewel in Kamdor's hand.

"Thanks to all of you! Let me repay you!" he blasted the Rangers, and would have hit Miratrix as well, had she not Ninja-streaked out of the way. They demorphed, groaning in pain.

"Come Miratrix! We will finish this later! The Star of Isis is ours!" Kamdor declared, and the two streaked away.

"Ok, it's not the end of the world!" Dax spoke quickly. "There's still another Jewel to find!" he tried to smile. "It just means that they have as many as us..." he muttered.

"Oh, do they?" Ronny smirked as she walked towards them, flipping the Star of Isis in her hand.

"Dude, is that...?" Ari gaped, and they all laughed loudly.

"What good is super-speed if I'm not gonna use it?" Ronny asked, and they all embraced her in a tight hug.

"No!" they heard a horrified shriek echoing from the distance, and laughed even more.

"I think Kamdor just found out he's been pickpocketed," Will laughed loudly.

"And Mack!" Dax threw himself at the Red Ranger and hugged him tightly. "Glad to have you back," he grinned.

"That goes for all of us buddy," Tyzonn agreed.

"Yeah...but tell me something," Rose nodded. "It's really weird you didn't get fried using my technology," Rose commented, raising an eyebrow at him. "I know for a fact it's not safe for humans. Or Ari," she added when the Gold Ranger raised her hand again. "I'm never wrong," she pointed out.

"Except about the existence of magic!" Ari spoke up.

"And ghosts!" Dax added.

"And dragons," Ronny grinned. Mack didn't speak as Rose glared at them.

The Rangers sat in silence, stunned by what Mack had just told them.

"So...you're an android," Ronny gave a small smile. "So what? That doesn't change you," she told him.

"Yeah, come on Mack. You guys took me in," Tyzonn smiled. "I'm an alien, it doesn't get weirder than that," he pointed out.

"And we accepted Ari. Whatever she is," Will smirked.

"Heck, I'd love to be an android!" Dax smiled as Ari hit Will with a cushion. "Think of all the neat stuff you can do! You can play DVDs inside your head!" Mack couldn't help but smile at the idea. Will stood up and walked over to clap Mack on the shoulder.

"We're brothers no matter what," Will told him firmly.

"Yeah, thanks everyone," Mack nodded. "It's important to know you're wanted. Human or not," he gave a small smile.

"Uh come on guys, let's get this Jewel down below for safe-keeping," Will said as he noticed Andrew and Spencer walking in. All but Mack stood up, but as the rest walked out, Ari walked over to Mack and leaned in close.

"You're not alone Mack. It's a big shock, and we're here for you. Yeah, we don't know exactly what you're going through, but me and Ty kinda know, and the others, they're willing to listen," she whispered.

"Thanks," Mack managed a smile, and she grinned, before following the others away, hoping that Mack would be able to accept the truth about himself.

I will admit, very little got written this weekend, I've recently decided to start watching Once Upon A Time again and gotten addicted – almost caught up and my emotions have been in turmoil since I decided to do it.

Anyways, I'll aim to update during the week, so I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Let me know what you think!