Chapter 30: Ancient History

"Hey Teddie? How did…"

"You get so good…"

"With that?" Gem and Gemma interrupted Teddie's training with her hammer, having been watching with a bowl of popcorn.

"I had training before coming to Corinth, and the hammer was my Sensei's preferred weapon. And my Master's preferred weapon," she added with a giggle, resting it against the ground as she allowed herself a moment to catch her breath. She didn't mind the spectators, and training reminded her of better times. "Dr. K was then kind enough to include one in my arsenal," Teddie grinned, glancing to where Dr. K was working.

"The weapons crafted for the original four of you were created with your skills in mind. I then considered the capabilities of those who would be able to wear the Black and Green suits, and created weapons that I felt would suit them. Unfortunately I didn't quite take one consideration into mind," the Doctor's eyes lingered on the green suit, making all three giggle. They'd all witnessed Ziggy trying to wield the massive axe.

"Well, four out of five is still good work," Teddie told her, and Dr. K rolled her eyes.

"If you've time to make comments, you've time to continue your training," she retorted, and Teddie's grin widened.

"Yessir," she saluted, and continued her training. Dr. K watched for a moment as Teddie seemed to effortlessly move with her long-handled hammer, utilising the entire weapon. Hiding that she was somewhat impressed, Dr. K went back to work, while Teddie's smile remained slightly, glad that Dr. K was opening up a bit more to them.

Outside of the lab, Nora was watching as Flynn and Ziggy played pool. They'd chased Summer away after her teasing comments and offers to help them, and had been trading trash talk the entire time.

"Oh, seems I've got you snookered," Flynn taunted, patting Ziggy's shoulder as he stepped back and smirked at his handy-work. Nora winced sympathetically. Ziggy had finally gained an upper hand, leaving one final ball to pocket. Unfortunately for him, Flynn had almost entirely penned it in behind his own.

"Yeah, I see what you're trying to do there," Ziggy gave a casual shrug, not seeming too concerned. Nora arched an eyebrow, wondering what he had planned. How about I bet you that I can hit that 8-ball into that corner pocket?" he challenged confidently. Flynn scoffed.

"Oh, will he rise to the bait?" Nora wondered to herself.

"Alright, you're on. What's the wager?" Flynn asked, and Ziggy thought about it.

"If I win, you can't use any of those Scottish...words you like to confuse us with," he decided. Flynn arched an eyebrow.

"Oh aye? Alright, well if I win," he suddenly leaned in to whisper. "You have to ask Nora out, instead of just pining after her like a pup," Ziggy's eyes widened and his heart leapt into his throat as Flynn smirked. Unable to stop himself, he looked to Nora, who tilted her head with a confused look. "'Cause Gemma told me all about your dream when we got knocked out last week," with that, Flynn stepped back and smiled innocently. "Deal?" he offered his hand.

"Deal," Flynn's own smile faded as Ziggy shook his hand. His surety that Ziggy wouldn't win had lessened, but he looked back at the table, unable to see a way for the Green Ranger to beat him. Ziggy then approached the table, seeming to be focusing hard as he moved from place to place to find the right shot. Then, without missing a beat, he leaned forwards and hit the 8-ball directly, potting it.

"Oh, that had to hurt, just a little bit!" the Green Ranger taunted as Flynn's smile disappeared and he tried not to curse.

"Why you little chancer-"

"Ah ah," Ziggy stopped him with an almost sing-song voice. "No Scottish words," he reminded, and Flynn threw down the cue in frustration. He then glared at Nora as she laughed, high-fiving Ziggy when he bounced past.

"I don't mind a little R&R, but stay sharp," Scott laughed as he walked past.

"Trust me, I'm uh, I'm sharp," Ziggy replied confidently. Flynn rolled his eyes.

"Yeah," he scoffed before the alarm started to blare. "Sharp as a marble," he taunted as they hurried into the lab.

"So, what have we got?" Scott asked.

'There was a shield breach in an eastern Sector, an hour later, sensors picked up some sort of excavation in the south Mountain Range. Any idea what Venjix is looking for?' the Colonel asked as the team exchanged confused looks. Gem and Gemma looked wary, while Dr. K had gone pale.

"The southward mountains?"

"That's where they dumped…"

"The failed technology from Alphabet Soup," Gem and Gemma explained.

"It's mostly junk," Dr. K tried to dismiss it, but her tone was forced.

'Well it may be nothing, but I've sent a team with Spencer and Annie to take a look. I'll keep you posted,' Colonel Truman told them, ending the link. Dr. K breathed heavily, staring at her keyboard.

"Do you have any idea what they might be looking for, Doctor?" Scott asked, seeing her worried look.

"Get out there right away," she ordered. "Anything that looks like it might still work, destroy it. That stuff cannot fall into the wrong hands," she warned, unable to hide her worry.


"What were they looking for in here anyway?" Hicks wondered as he shone his flashlight around the cave the team had found.

"Aliens?" Bridge suggested, earning a few confused looks and some droll stares.

"You think you'd know Rule One by now," Spencer shook his head, nudging some scrap out of the way.

"Rule One?" Hicks repeated, confused.

"Never ask a question you want a proper answer to, in front of Bridge," Syd answered as she stepped over some rocks. "There's like, two people who understand Bridge-speak," she explained.

"Even I don't know how to take that answer," Annie grinned, and Bridge shrugged.

"Well, what is in here? Dr K. said junk, right?" he asked, moving through one of the small tunnels into another cave. "You know that phrase about one man's trash being another man's treasure. Maybe it's something that's worth more to someone else, and she just thinks it's junk. Or maybe it's junk to most people and treasure to her, or maybe-" he stopped suddenly, making the others frown.

"Bridge?" Annie called, following him down the tunnel.

"Or maybe it's a huge pile of tech," Bridge finished, dropping down to start rooting through the pile. "Dr. K was sorta right. Most of this stuff is worthless. Broken, fried, I don't even know what that is," he listed as Annie looked around curiously.

"Apparently Alphabet Soup dumped all their failed tech here," Annie remembered what the Colonel had relayed to them. "Be careful, from what I heard, some of the stuff they had Dr. K make was a bit...dangerous," she warned as she watched him dig through the pile.

"Worried about me?" Bridge looked up with a grin, and Annie rolled her eyes.

"Always, goofball," she nudged him with her foot.

"This stuff is really advanced. Dr. K is incredible. She could have made the tech at SPD look obsolete," he considered, and let out an excited shout. "Okay, this looks intact," he pulled out a laptop from the pile.

"Nice find," Annie praised as she took it. "Maybe it can help us figure out what Venjix wanted here," she said as Bridge kept digging.

"I think Bridge was right," she glanced to Spencer as he stepped into the smaller cave. He immediately joined the empath in digging through the pile. "This is the whole 'one man's trash' situation," he laughed. Annie rolled her eyes.

"Nerds," she muttered.


"Over here!" once the Rangers had reached the mountains, Scott had put Teddie up front, relying on her earth detection abilities to find what they were looking for. "That's definitely not natural," she warned.

"It looks dark in there," Ziggy gulped.

"What, scared of the dark?" Teddie teased as she jumped down. She held up a hand, summoning light to her hand.

"Come on," Scott jumped down and nodded to the rest of the team. "We need to make sure nothing gets taken," he reminded, letting Teddie lead the way down through the tunnel.

"In here!" they finally clambered free of the tunnel, finding the Attackbot standing amongst more dusty and broken tech.

"Hold it right there!" Scott shouted as the Attackbot looked around at them.

"Venjix can forget about stealing his stuff!" Summer called.

"RPM Enforcer! Fire!" they combined their weapons and fired a blast that slammed into the Drillbot, but it knocked it away. The attack collided with a wall nearby, shattering it with a low rumble.

"Whoa," Arianna put her hands to her mouth in shock.

"Wait, what is that?" Scott frowned as he saw a strange shape revealed. Before they could try and inspect it, the Drillbot suddenly started to shake and make strange noises.

"Get back!" Dillon shouted, pushing the team out of the way. As the Attackbot grew larger, it smashed through the ceiling, and the team were able to jump free before they were buried.

"Spencer, Annie, we need you!" Scott contacted their missing Rangers.

'On our way!' Spencer responded quickly, and they summoned their Zords. Almost immediately the Drillbot attacked, knocking their Megazord to the ground.

"We need more power!" Scott groaned as they forced themselves up.

'You mean, you need us!' Annie's laugh came over the communication link, and they looked up to see the Mach Megazord flying towards them. Immediately they combined Zords, and took to the skies.

"Nice timing," Flynn praised.

"Initiating Road Attack Zord!" they called on their smaller, powerful Zord, and it immediately collided with the Drillbot, knocking it over.

Below, Arianna frowned as tremors started to shake the ground, not entirely from the fall of the Attackbot.

"Do it!" Ziggy cheered.

"Skid Mode!" Scott shouted. The Road Attack Zord transformed back to a wheel, landing on the ramp in front of them. "Say goodbye!"

"Burnout!" the team shouted, hitting the Road Attack Zord. It raced towards the Drillbot, but before it could hit it, the ground near Arianna exploded, tossing the Mercury Ranger to the ground as something else shot out. It hit the Road Attack Zord, sending it flying.

"What?" Spencer frowned, confused.

"Everybody hold on!" Flynn shouted as they saw a strange train-like machine flying through the air, glowing almost silver.

"What is that?" Summer wondered as it flew towards them. The glow faded, and Teddie spotted a familiar symbol.

"Wait, is that-" before she could ask, the train slammed into them, creating tracks in front of it through the air. The Rangers cried out as they were knocked to the ground, barely able to stay in their seats as they were knocked around. The glow faded, revealing three Zords together. They then rammed the Attackbot as it moved towards the Megazord, and as the Rangers recovered, the Drillbot buried under the ground, disappearing.

"Does someone want to tell me what just happened?" Annie demanded, but they were just as clueless as her.


By the time the Rangers returned to the base, Dr. K was pacing.

"Doc, what happened out there?" she whirled around, to ask if anything was found, but when she saw Spencer and Annie with them, she hesitated.

"What was that thing Doc? It was huge," Dillon's voice was softer than Scott's. Dr. K sighed, closing her eyes.

"It was never supposed to see the light of day," she started, guilty and worried. Flynn gave a derisive laugh.

"Well it saw it," he pointed out.

"They looked like dinosaurs. And trains. Dino Zords," Teddie spoke up, earning their attention as she chewed on her thumbnail.

"More dinosaurs?" Heckyl commented from where he stood with Nora. Teddie frowned at him.

"I'm just saying what I saw. And it's not wishful thinking," she grumbled at him.

"It's called…"

"The PaleoZord," Gem and Gemma explained, looking amused.

"It was developed during the early stages of Project Ranger," Dr. K elaborated. "We drew inspiration for elsewhere, I admit," she glanced to Teddie, who shot Heckyl a smug look. He rolled his eyes in response. "But we could never get proper synchronicity with the Bio-Field because it's based on extinct life forms," she continued.

"What does that mean?" Scott asked, confused.

"It's powerful beyond belief; completely uncontrollable, and now it's been unleashed inside our delicate biosphere," Dr. K gave the bad news. "Clear enough?" she growled at the Red Ranger, whose own irritation was getting to her.

"Yeah…" Scott sighed.

"Well, what about using dinosaur DNA to help connect it?" Dr. K's eyes widened at Heckyl's suggestion. He angled his head a little. "That's how you were able to achieve functioning Zords with the rest of them, right? Because the animals linked to their Zords are still around," he pointed out.

"I-" Dr. K stopped abruptly as they heard footsteps. She looked around, stepping away as multiple soldiers, accompanied by Sky and the Colonel, stormed in.

"Everybody freeze!" Hicks ordered.

"What?" Scott couldn't help but laugh, confused.

"What's going on Sky?" Spencer asked their former team-mate.

"Dr. K, you're under arrest," the Colonel announced. "For treason," his words took them all by surprise.

"Okay, now someone needs to start talking," Annie growled as Dr. K didn't look surprised.

"She's the one who released the Venjix Virus on the world," Sky explained.

"So she released the virus, don't you think treason's a little-" Ziggy stepped forwards, and two soldiers seized him, pulling the Ranger back. "Okay, get your point, get your point," he gulped as Dillon and Nora grabbed their wrists and forced them to let go.

"Wait, wait a second," Spencer pushed his glasses up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "She released the Venjix Virus. And you all knew about it?" he demanded, looking to the rest of the team.

"Spencer, she's the only one who can help us stop Venjix, you can't-"

"Teddie, stop right now," Spencer snarled at her, taking them all by surprise. His eyes flickered gold, and Teddie took a step back as Heckyl put a hand on her shoulder. His hand lit up with energy, and Spencer turned his glare on him instead.

"Spence-"

"Teddie," Annie cut her off, voice softer than her partner's. "If you all knew…"

"That makes you all guilty of treason too," Sky explained in a hard voice, looking grim. "Fortunately for you, considering your status, and the situation, we can't exactly arrest you all-"

"Didn't stop you arresting Ziggy before," Nora muttered, earning a glare from him. Ziggy offered her a slight smile, and she shrugged.

"But Dr. K's crimes are far worse," Colonel Truman spoke up, still watching the young woman with an oddly calm expression. He took a step towards her, and Scott blocked his path.

"Don't you dare do this," the Red Ranger warned, voice shaking with anger. "We need her!" he exclaimed.

"Hicks! Secure the prisoner!" Truman ordered.

"No!" Arianna tried to push forwards, but Annie grabbed her arm, not letting her. Hicks reached out to grab Dr. K by the shoulder, only for his hand to pass through her. He stumbled forwards, confused, and Dr. K smirked.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Colonel, but I had a feeling you might be dropping by," most of the team tried to hide their entertained looks. "It's hard to trust the government after what I've seen - after what I've seen - after what I've seen," the hologram flickered as she started to repeat herself.

"It's a hologram!" the Colonel's calm facade disappeared. "Comb the city. Find her!" he shouted.

"Okay, she created the Venjix virus!" Scott stopped his father as he went to leave. The soldiers had all rushed out to find the missing Doctor. "But don't forget, she also created the Power Rangers and everything that we use to protect this city every single day!" he pointed out. Not saying a word, the man went to leave, but Scott grabbed his arm and forced him to turn back. "Arresting her isn't going to bring anyone back," he said in a quieter, less hostile voice as he pleaded with his father.

"I'm sorry, Scott. I have no choice," Colonel Truman's calm facade returned, and he stormed out.

"Spencer. Annie," Sky cleared his throat.

"On it," Spencer said, voice grim.

"Spencer!" Teddie called her brother, and the Gold Ranger stopped. "Please. Scott's right. Arresting her isn't going to bring anyone back. Arresting her...it's only going to get more people killed," she pleaded. Spencer's fists clenched tightly.

"And what about everything that everyone else has suffered - that people are still suffering from?" he demanded. "Are you telling me that you've forgiven her?" Spencer asked, smiling mockingly. Teddie blinked back tears as she stared at her brother.

"There's a difference between forgiving someone, and understanding why they did it," she said softly. Spencer scoffed.

"Of course that's your answer," he muttered, glancing to Heckyl. Spencer could still feel the energy of his powers in the air, as Heckyl watched him carefully. "Let's go," he turned to Annie, who nodded, and the pair ran out.

"After what I've seen - after what I've - good, I thought they'd never leave," Dr. K suddenly returned to normal, making them all jump. Gem and Gemma giggled.

"S-sorry, uh, what are you?" Ziggy demanded, baffled.

"Yes, I'm a hologram," Dr. K sighed impatiently. "But I'm not a recording. That is so last century," she scoffed, walking back to her computer. "Now, find the PaleoZord before it destroys the city and everyone in it," Dr. K instructed.

"But...without your help-"

"I'm working from a remote location," she said, striding past them. Her hologram rippled when it passed through Nora's arm, and she shivered.

"Not weird at all," she grumbled.

"I'll work on a way to deactivate it," Dr. K told them.

"What about Heckyl's idea? Wouldn't that work?" Arianna told her, and Dr. K turned to her.

"It might, if we had valid dinosaur DNA. Unfortunately for us, Corinth doesn't house such things," she denied with a shake of her head, but as she went to turn away, Heckyl cleared his throat.

"You might have valid DNA closer than you realise," he patted Teddie's head, and she gave a weak smile.

"Wait, what?" Scott blinked rapidly.

"You're a dinosaur?" Ziggy asked. Nora sighed, punching his arm lightly.

"Dumbass," she muttered as he rolled his eyes. "She was bonded to an Energem for two years that was previously connected to a dinosaur. Not to mention her mum had her DNA altered by a Dino Gem," she explained.

"That...may work. It's not pure, but enough of it should get what we need," Dr. K allowed.

"I'll stay and get in contact with the others, see if we can get enough," Arianna volunteered.

"Good. The rest of you, find the PaleoZord before it does any real damage," with that, Dr. K sat down in her seat and vanished.

"Wow!" Gem and Gemma breathed, and the rest of the team sighed.

"You gonna be okay?" Flynn asked Teddie as they headed out. "Spencer was pretty worked up," he commented. Teddie sighed.

"We have to hope that he cools off and understands like the rest of us did. After all, we were all pretty upset when we found out," she reminded him. Flynn nodded.

"Hey, if Dillon can move past it, they'll be fine," he smiled in reassurance. Teddie smiled back, and nodded.

"Right," she agreed.


"You know," Dillon started as they walked through the forest near to where they'd originally found the Zord. "I've done some crazy stuff, but I never thought I'd be looking around in the woods for a giant Dino-Train," he admitted, and the others laughed quietly.

"Paleo. Zord," Scott corrected. "Just keep looking," he said, before Teddie suddenly threw her arm out and stopped Scott as Dillon caught Summer's arm. "What?" he frowned at her, and was hushed.

"Listen," she whispered. A moment later, the rest of them heard the tell-tale whirring noises, and ducked behind a rock. They peeked out, and spotted Grinders and the Drillbot looking around.

"Guess we're not the only interested party," Ziggy commented, and immediately they all whirled around to look at the Rangers. "Probably should have whispered that," he considered, and yelped when Dillon hit him over the head.

"Nora wasn't here to do it," the Black Ranger shrugged as they emerged from their attempted hiding place. Ziggy glared at his friend, rubbing the back of his head. When the Grinders rushed at them, the six met them, easily fighting them off without their suits to save energy.

"You Grinders just can't keep up," Teddie laughed as she easily dodged their strikes. She somersaulted to the side and dropped down to trip the ones closest to her, before jumping back up and striking the rest with rapid punches. She heard Ziggy yelp nearby as they tossed him into the air, but he quickly recovered, fighting them off with strikes that reminded Teddie of Nora. She shook her head, entertained, and grabbed the arm of one of the Grinders, tossing it into one running at Summer.

Once most of the Grinders had been taken out, the team regrouped, standing together as the Drillbot approached with what remained of the footsoldiers.

"Let's finish this," Scott called. "Ready?"

"Ready!"

"RPM, GET IN GEAR!" the team Morphed and with much greater power, destroyed each of the Grinders still coming for them, while Scott faced the Drillbot. Hearing a loud noise, everyone, including the Attackbot, were distracted, looking up.

"The PaleoZord!" Scott gasped, having been struggling with the Drillbot. He was then knocked aside by one of its powerful arms, but as it turned to try and attack the Zord, Scott was able to get out of the way, and the PaleoZord rammed it once again. It then vanished again, and Scott groaned. "Come on!" he complained as the rest of the Rangers took out the last of the Grinders.

"Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Flynn cracked his neck as they regrouped.

"I lost the PaleoZord, are you guys alright?" Scott asked, annoyed at himself.

"We're fine," Summer nodded.

'Ranger Red, continue your search for the PaleoZord,' Dr. K suddenly contacted them. 'Ranger Mercury will join you shortly. Black, Green, and White, I need you to work maneuvers in your Megazord in the unlikely event I can sync the PaleoZord,' she instructed.

"Where are you, Doc?" Flynn asked, but the link cut out.

"You heard her. Let's get to work," Scott told the team, who nodded.


Spotting Annie as he sped through town on his bike, Spencer skidded to a stop as she did the same.

"Any luck?" he asked as he flipped up the visor of his helmet. Annie shook her head.

"She's smart. Probably keeping out of sight somewhere," she said as she pulled her helmet off and fixed her hair. Spencer cursed. "Hey Spence, I know this is weird coming from me, but we should think about this," Annie sighed.

"You're right. That is weird coming from you," he told her, and flinched as she punched him hard.

"I'm serious. Look, I'm pissed. But as I thought about it, I realised I'm more angry that they didn't tell me," Annie admitted, and Spencer stayed quiet, still scowling. "I want to know why the others stuck with her when they knew the truth. Dillon and Scott especially," she continued. "I think we should hear them out," she looked away, a little embarrassed, and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Annie, this isn't like it was a little secret where feelings got hurt. Millions, if not billions, died because of this," Spencer finally spoke, his voice tired.

"And she has to live with that," he paused at Annie's reminder. "Dr. K has been working constantly to help protect the city. You said it yourself that she works herself until she passes out at her desk. That doesn't sound like someone who isn't haunted by what they did," she pointed out, watching Spencer for his reaction. He was frowning, but hadn't snapped at her like he'd done to Teddie.

"Bridge really has mellowed you out, huh?" Spencer then sighed, and was rewarded by another punch. "Okay, okay," he grumbled, rubbing his arm. "We'll hear her out," he allowed.

"Glad to see some things get through that lump of rock you call a head," Annie snorted, glancing away. She spotted a figure running by in a white cloak, glancing at the two just long enough for them to see her face. "Spence!" the Silver Ranger shouted, jumping off her bike.

"Annie, wait!" as she went to give chase, Spencer pointed out Dr. K running across the walkway above.

"How…" Annie blinked rapidly, before shaking her head. "Come on!" she called, running off, and Spencer pulled off his helmet to give chase.

Bumping into each other after chasing down two different Dr. K's, Spencer and Annie looked around. Other soldiers were giving chase, each seeming to follow their own version.

"This is annoying," Spencer complained, spotting the Colonel nearby.

"Sir, there are dozens of her," Hicks stopped just long enough to report, breathing heavily. He then took off after another Dr. K, and Spencer ran a hand through his hair.

"Now this really does look like a wild goose chase," he commented, and Annie hummed her agreement.

"Bly, Carson," they glanced at the Colonel as he called them. "With me," he ordered. They exchanged looks, and followed curiously.


"What if Spencer and Annie don't come back?" Ziggy wondered as the ValveMax Megazord stood tall. "Will Dr. K configure the PaleoZord without them?" he asked.

"Ziggy," Teddie's voice was light, but warning as she flipped some switches in her small cockpit.

"I'm just saying! Not much point in configuring it for the SkyRev Megazord if we can't form the SkyRev Megazord," he pointed out with a shrug. When the other arm suddenly swung at the Shark Zord where Ziggy was sitting, he yelped, jerked around.

"Do not make me come over there and slap you," Teddie warned.

"Kids, behave," Dillon spoke up, bored.

"You're supposed to be working together!" Summer shouted up at them, exasperated. Hearing noises from behind where they were watching, Flynn turned, and spotted the Drillbot.

"Watch out!" he shouted as it suddenly grew much larger. The Rangers in the Megazord looked around, just in time for one of its shovel-like hands to slam into them.


"Stop what you're doing, now!" Dr. K jumped, looking around quickly as the Colonel walked into his command centre. He had a blaster levelled at her, and Spencer and Annie followed, watching carefully. "Step away from the computer," he ordered, but she didn't move. "I said step away from the computer!" he shouted. Slowly, Dr. K stood, moving away as requested. "How on earth did you get in here undetected?" Truman asked.

"When you send the entire city guard into the streets to find me, it was an obvious hiding place," Dr. K explained, unable to hide her small smile.

'Dr. K, we need your help!' Ziggy's voice suddenly came through on the computer, making them all look over. 'Dr. K! Are you there?' he shouted. The Colonel hesitated, looking torn.

"Am I?" Dr. K asked, tilting her head.


The Drillbot was relentless, not allowing the ValveMax Megazord to move as it bombarded them with explosive blasts. The three Rangers let out shouts as their cockpits started to smoke, and sparks exploded out from the systems in front of them. A moment later, it broke apart, and the Zords were flung away, ejecting their pilots who crashed to the ground and demorphed.

"Calling Zords!" as the three lay in the grass in pain, Summer and Flynn called on their own Zords. They attacked, but their own blows bounced harmlessly off its strong armour, and with a swing of its arm, it knocked the Zords away and the two Rangers joined their teammates on the ground.


'We're taking a pounding!' Flynn shouted as Dr. K watched her computer, not moving.

'Our suits are done for,' Teddie groaned, and Spencer's hands clenched into fists. Torn, he didn't move, looking from the computer, to Dr. K.

'Doc, where are you?' Ziggy demanded.

'Hang on guys, I'm on my way,' Scott's calm authority seemed to straighten them out, and Dr. K turned back to the three in front of her,

"Are you going to arrest me, Colonel?" she asked, growing a little impatient. Colonel Truman didn't respond, his gaze going to his framed picture of him and his elder son Marcus. Dr. K's gaze followed when she saw more sadness than anger in his face, and her expression turned blank. "We all do things in life we regret. But if we don't learn from them, and move towards a brighter future, we pay twice," her voice was gentle, and filled with the guilt she'd carried from the moment she'd escaped from Alphabet Soup.

"I've already paid more than most," Colonel Truman said quietly.

"I know," Dr. K agreed. "I have dreamed about going back to undo what I did, but it's not possible. Not for me," she shook her head.

"Can you help them?" Colonel Truman indicated towards the computer.

"That's all I can do," Dr. K's smile was almost helpless. With a sigh, the Colonel lowered his blaster.

"Then help them," he told her. She nodded, and immediately her attention went to Spencer and Annie, who looked unsure.

"All of you Rangers, all of you, I inducted without this knowledge. I never wanted you to know, but secrets are hard to keep in these times. All I can hope for is that you know that while I can never make up for what happened, I will do all I can to make sure that no more lives are taken," she told the pair. Annie shrugged, looking up at her with a look that seemed to go through her. Dr. K shivered at the intensity.

"Most people have asked me why I accepted and became a Ranger again, with a kid of my own in the mix," Annie started, looking out the window. "I say it's because I don't trust Spencer to do anything without me around-" he rolled his eyes at her comment. "But it's because I have Kiana that I agreed. There's not much of this world left, but I want to protect what has remained. And, well, I can tell that you're the same," she was blushing as she spoke. "It'll take time to adjust to this, but considering how much of a mess the rest of the team are without us, well, I can't just quit," she told the Doctor, who nodded back at her. Spencer groaned, messing up his hair.

"Considering the crap everyone gave me the last time I tried to quit, and after hearing Annie spill her guts - ow!" he yelped when she punched his shoulder. "I can't really give up now. The world was supposed to fall a few years ago, and it's thanks to a friend of ours that it didn't. We can't just squander what he gave us," Spencer fixed his glasses, and his confident smile returned. "I want to understand, I really do. And hey, if Teddie backs you up, I guess there's a reason," he shrugged.

"Thank you. Both of you," Dr. K's voice was quiet, shaking. They nodded, and as they ran out to join their team, she took a seat. "Hold tight Rangers. I'm expanding the receptors on the PaleoZord. Hopefully I can sync it to the Biofield with the DNA Arianna and Nora collected, and access it remotely," she explained.


Back at the fight, Scott raced by the rest of his team.

"I'll try and hold off that drill thing!" Scott shouted, running and leaping up at it. It knocked him out of the sky, and he landed hard.

"Scott!" Summer shouted as they were forced to watch their leader.

"I'm not done yet!" Scott growled, getting back up and running at it again. As it landed on the drill on top of its head, a laugh came through on his comms.

'I can see the headlines now. Red Ranger defeats robot a thousand times his size with just a sword,' Annie taunted, and Scott's eyes widened as he heard the tell-tale sounds of their Zords.

'This is why Reds can't be trusted to do things on their own,' Spencer spoke up.

'And that's why I was always surprised that you were never chosen to be a Red,' Annie told him innocently as their Zords flew into view. They combined with the Whale Zord, forming the Mach Megazord and facing the Drillbot.

"You have punched me three times in the last hour. Can you please stop?" Spencer rolled his eyes.

"Are you here to arrest us? Or help us?" Scott bit, keeping his balance on the Drillbot.

"We deserve that, I'll admit," Annie allowed with a nod of her head. "But we're here to help," she said, and as the Drillbot knocked Scott off at last, they caught him and punched the Drillbot backwards with a punch.

"Word of advice Scott. Zords help," Spencer chuckled, setting the Red Ranger down.

"Maybe I liked the team without you two," Scott considered, before hearing a train whistle. As the Drillbot knocked the Mach Megazord backwards, the Paleozord rode into view, spraying the Attackbot with steam. As it staggered, the three pieces of the Zord split apart to grab it and flip it through the air. As it crashed to the ground with a massive tremor, the Zords reformed and slowed to a stop.

"That is incredible," Scott laughed. The Zords then split apart even more, before combining to form a Megazord.

"Whoa! What's happening?" Scott stepped back as the PaleoMax Megazord punched the Drillbot, causing a crack in its armour.

"That's our cue!" Spencer nodded. Working with the new Megazord, they delivered a punch to the weakened armour, before blasting it. The Drillbot staggered back, unable to defend itself as the PaleoMax Megazord delivered one final strike with its arms. The Drillbot collapsed, exploding.

"Awesome!" the Rangers below cheered as Spencer and Annie leapt from their Megazord, demorphing.

"I do have one question," Teddie folded her arms. "Uh...who controlled the new Megazord?" she asked, and they all calmed, wondering just the same. A figure leapt down, landing nearby, and their eyes widened as Arianna demorphed too.

"Piloting a Megazord is so much more fun than I thought!" she exclaimed.

"'Anna!" the Mercury Ranger let out a cry as Teddie tackled her in a hug. "That was awesome! You finally got a Zord!" she laughed, and the rest of the team couldn't help but join in.


The Rangers returned to the base, finding that Dr. K still hadn't returned.

"No sign," Summer shook her head as she stepped out of the lab.

"She hasn't been back at all," Nora said as the team looked worried. "Don't worry, we didn't tell the others what's going on," she added.

"Good, because then I'd have to tell Chase that his brother is a jerk," Teddie muttered as she came down the stairs. Spencer rubbed the back of his neck, looking awkward.

"She should have been back by now," he said, wisely not trying to talk to his sister.

"The Colonel must have taken her," Scott growled as he tried to think of what to do.

"Not exactly," they all looked around as his father spoke. The Colonel walked in with Dr. K, who was watching him curiously. "After discussing it with Commander Tate, we have decided to grant the good doctor a full pardon," he announced. Dr. K breathed a sigh of relief, smiling, before jumping as Teddie hugged her suddenly.

"We were worried," the White Ranger muttered, darting away just as quickly.

"Oh sure, don't try to kill her with a hug," Arianna muttered, and Teddie nudged her as the rest of the team looked relieved.

"Sometimes you have to leave the past in the past, and well, I for one...will be focusing more on the future," Colonel Truman told the team, smiling very slightly to Scott. The Red Ranger smiled back.

"Thank you Colonel. And now, if you don't mind, I need to debrief my team. It's been a long day," she pointed out.

"Of course," he nodded, patting her arm lightly before leaving. Most of the team moved towards the lab, and Ziggy reached out and poked Dr. K's shoulder. She turned around, frowning at him.

"Just...checking you were real," he gave a nervous laugh. Dr. K looked past him, and he looked around.

"Boo!" another Dr. K hissed, and he gave a shriek, rushing off as the Doctor smirked.


Another fun one to write, but just because I love writing dramatics.

I hope you liked it!

I updated the cover picture for this story, but it took a lot more work because the website I use is now garbage and almost entirely based on a paid sub. If anyone knows a good website I can use instead of pizap, please lemme know! (I apologise if my PMs are late, I'm not getting notifications for them anymore).

Please review!