Chapter 31: Key To The Past
Striding towards the main room of Venjix' palace, Siren tapped the mask that covered her face, letting out a hum of annoyance.
"Suffering a glitch? I hear they're rather rampant in the Generation 8 technology," she stopped, turning to Kilobyte and Shifter as they walked by. Shifter had been bragging to the other general about his newest creation, which would allow Venjix to join in an attack.
"Glitches make things interesting," Siren just gave a pleasant smile, and Shifter scoffed as Kilobyte chuckled.
"Perhaps, unless they're the reason for your failures," he commented, walking on ahead of her.
"Yes, because you have been so successful since you got here," Siren muttered, and tapped her mask again. She wasn't about to let on that in her readings of the Ranger files, she'd noticed that there seemed to be gaps, and that it bugged her more than she expected.
Shaking her head, she tried to forget about it as Shifter continued to brag to Kilobyte. Crunch then joined them, excited to see what was going to happen.
"The programming is perfect this time," Shifter insisted.
"Then you'll be fine," Kilobyte drawled as they stepped into the room. Siren glanced at the latest Attackbot that Shifter had been working on, and noticed a flash of purple.
"Venjix!" Before she could question it, Shifter called their Master, and the lights of his server started to glow red as the pillar turned. "Once downloaded, you can fight beside us in this new body!" he gestured to the massive, intimidating Attackbot with wind-up keys on its shoulders.
"But can it handle my power?" Venjix asked, unimpressed.
"This is Generation 16 technology. It cannot fail!" Shifter insisted confidently as Tenaya walked towards him from the opposite side. Siren tilted her head, wondering just what she was doing.
"Talk, talk, talk," Tenaya rolled her eyes. Shifter growled as he turned to her, showing even more disdain for her now that he'd made it obvious he favoured Kilobyte. "Why don't you show us how it works?" she challenged.
"Sure! Watch this!" Shifter rose to the bait. "Move!" he snapped as he went to the controls, pushing Tenaya out of the way. She stepped aside, folding her arms, and Shifter chuckled to himself as he pulled a lever to activate the new Attackbot. Immediately it turned towards Venjix' pillar, firing a powerful beam.
"No!" Venjix roared as his lights flickered and dulled for a moment, taking them all by surprise.
"No!" as it charged up for another attack, Kilobyte raced over and grabbed the Attackbot, hurling it away. It crashed to the ground in the corridor, beeping and whirring before sparking and lying still.
"That's impossible! The programming was flawless!" Shifter cried as he ran over to it, before letting out a snarl as Siren caught on as well. "You!" he whirled around to Tenaya, who was smiling. "You did this!" he accused.
"Typical Generation 5 glitch - shifting the blame to others," Tenaya glanced to Venjix as Siren hid her smirk.
"You will leave here, General Shifter, and never return," Venjix ordered, horrifying the bronze coloured Attackbot.
"What? Into the Wasteland?" he gasped, taking a step back. "But I'll rust!" he pointed out. He then let out a growl as two Grinders grabbed hold of his arms and pulled him away.
"Another tragic Gen 5 flaw," Kilobyte mocked as Shifter shoved the Grinders off him. "No undercoating," he commented.
"Avoid the Salt Flats," Siren taunted. Tenaya was grinning widely, enjoying the scene.
"Gen 5 has strengths too!" Shifter snarled at them. "And I'll use them!" he vowed, storming away and dragging his damaged Attackbot with him.
"Tenaya 7?" Venjix turned back to Tenaya, as if forgetting what had just taken place.
"My HeatBot has been tested," she announced, and it stepped into the room.
"Excellent. Take Siren 8 with you," Venjix ordered. Siren nodded, walking over to the pair.
"I will personally make sure he doesn't fail," Tenaya vowed, leading them away.
"We'll be watching," Kilobyte called after the pair, ominous.
"Today we celebrate a great achievement," the woman on the stage announced to the crowd, at the opening of a new energy grid. The Rangers stood at the back of the crowd, partly to make an appearance, and partly in case of an attack. Dillon just rolled his eyes and looked around, not wanting to be there. "The final step in making sure Corinth can survive well into the future," she continued as Colonel Truman stood beside her. "Energy - the key to our lives," she held up a large key, and stepped back.
"And the key to our security," Colonel Truman added, a little rigid, and the crowd, minus Dillon, clapped as he held up an identical key. The two then clicked the keys together, earning Dillon's attention. "These two keys will unlock our new fuel depot," Colonel Truman announced, and Summer glanced to Dillon as he turned away. "Wait, something's wrong," as he pushed the doors open, he spotted something burning away at the building inside. "Run!" he shouted.
"Venjix," Scott growled.
"Of course they'd sabotage this," Teddie sighed, grabbing her engine cell as the others did the same.
"Get to safety!" Arianna shouted, guiding the crowd away as they pushed their way to the frown.
"Ready?" Scott shouted once they were clear.
"Ready!"
"RPM, GET IN GEAR!" they Morphed and ran into the newly built area, spotting an Attackbot focusing a laser on part of the building.
"Hey! Get away from there!" Scott shouted, making it jump. It stopped what it was doing, and ran off. They gave chase, only to be knocked off their feet by Siren.
"Oops," she taunted as Grinders rushed in to block their path.
"I'll handle her," Teddie pushed herself up.
"Right. You guys go. Me, Annie and Spencer will take the Grinders," Summer told the rest of the team.
"Okay," the remaining five ran off, and as some Grinders tried to follow, they were blocked by the Gold and Silver Rangers.
"Taking me on by yourself, Ranger White? Awful ambitious," Siren mocked. Teddie rolled her eyes, but didn't reply as she called on her hammer.
The HeatBot ran from the fight, looking for somewhere to hide, only to have its path blocked by the Rangers.
"Think you're getting past us? Think again!" Scott called, and it turned to try and double-back. Dillon and Arianna stood behind it, blocking its way.
"You're not going anywhere," Dillon warned. It beeped and whirred as they called on their Nitro Blasters, before starting to glow brightly. The Rangers fired, but it emitted a pulse that deflected their attacks back on them. The five cried out as they hit the ground, suits sparking as they fought through the pain that hadn't been completely absorbed.
"He can deflect our ranged attacks?" Arianna pushed herself up.
"Let's make this personal!" Scott recovered quickly, changing his blaster to its sword form. The others followed suit, and the HeatBot summoned two coil pipes that it used as swords. They burned red hot, and Ziggy was tossed several feet away, landing heavily after being struck across the chest.
"Zig!" Dillon shouted as he tried to fight back, but the HeatBot was powerful too, sending the Black Ranger to the ground with the rest.
"Jet Fists!" Arianna tried to use the metal casings around her fists to try and land a blow, but it's longer reach had her join the rest on the ground.
"Guys!"
"Let us join in!" Spencer and Annie joined in once they'd taken enough of the Grinders out, using their Claw Hatchets to strike the HeatBot. It caught Spencer as Annie dodged the next blow and got in close. However, as she grabbed its arm, letting Spencer strike it, he felt his Claw Hatchet bounce off. It countered, hitting both with one strike.
"Damn, he hits hard," Spencer groaned, hitting the ground near the others. The HeatBot didn't wait around, running off again.
"Let's get him!" Scott shouted, and all but Dillon ran after the Attackbot.
"I'll go check on Summer and Teddie," he told them, running back to where the other two had been left.
Teddie stumbled backwards, her hammer dropped nearby, as she shrugged one shoulder to help with the pain. Siren just smirked at her, having landed a hard blow.
"I really can't wait to knock that smirk off your stupid face," Teddie vowed, running back in. She dodged Siren's next hit and landed a kick of her own, before diving out of the way as Siren released another shockwave of sound. She then coughed, putting a hand to her throat. "Bit of a defect?" the White Ranger called.
"Now you sound like Kilobyte," Siren muttered, losing her smirk. Teddie felt a slight pinch of satisfaction, and glanced over to where Tenaya and Summer were fighting. The Yellow Ranger was knocked to the ground by Tenaya's kick, rolling along and hitting a wall.
"Leave her alone!" Dillon shouted, leaping at Tenaya to take over the fight.
"You won't win this, Siren," Teddie vowed as she kicked the Attackbot backwards. "And don't pull the whole 'Venjix destroyed most of the world' crap again. Because that wasn't you. How long till he decides to scrap you like one of these crappy Grinders?" she taunted, and Siren's anger grew. She thought of Shifter, who had been so easily tossed out thanks to Tenaya's manipulation. She wasn't as overconfident or stupid as Shifter, and she wasn't about to join him.
"Shut up!" she threw a punch that sailed past where Teddie's head had been, looking down to where the White Ranger had crouched. She straightened quickly, and her helmet slammed into Siren's head. The Attackbot shrieked and stumbled backwards, putting a hand to her mask. It had cracked slightly, leaving her readings partly missing as broken pixels lined up with the crack. "You'll pay for that," she hissed, grabbing Teddie's arm tightly. She swung her into the side of a building, making Teddie cry out in pain, before using her enhanced strength to toss the Ranger to the ground.
"Dammit…" Teddie muttered.
"You can't win. Not against a machine," Siren kicked her in the ribs, making her roll along the ground. "Eventually your weak human body will give in. We machines don't have that worry," she mocked.
"Dillon, watch out!" Summer cried out in horror, before there was a loud explosion as Dillon deflected Tenaya's killing blow with his shield. The tower above that it had hit collapsed, and Tenaya screamed as the rubble and metal pinned her to the ground.
"Help me!" she screamed, trying to get free. Dillon slowly approached, confused and drawn to help her. Siren smirked.
"Human compassion, it's a weakness!" Tenaya hurled a piece of metal at Dillon, who dove aside to dodge it. Siren then let out another scream that hit the Black Ranger, slamming him into the wall. He demorphed, and blood dripped from a cut on his temple. Tenaya then got to her feet, and examined the injury on her leg that revealed pistons and wires. "Observe. When I get damaged, it's just a simple repair," she pointed out, smirking. "But when you get damaged, you bleed," she taunted as Summer ran to Dillon's side.
"Pathetic," Siren taunted as Teddie tried to get up.
"Teddie!" the other Rangers returned, and Flynn pulled the White Ranger to her feet. They looked around, but both Siren and Tenaya were gone.
"Dammit," Teddie groaned, a hand to where her ribs ached.
The Rangers returned to the lab, tending to their injuries as Dr. K analysed the data she'd collected during the fight.
"That was too close back there. If we hadn't interrupted the HeatBot, it could have done way more damage," Spencer commented as he passed Summer the first aid kit to tend to Dillon's injuries.
"If that Bot does attack again, then the fuel depot should be able to handle the heat, shouldn't it?" Scott asked, a little nervous, and turned to Flynn. The mechanic gave an uneasy shrug.
"Well, the metal exterior won't melt until one million kelvin," he pointed out, and Gemma smiled at him as she passed Dr. K some of her findings. He gave a small grin back, a little pleased.
"But the fuel, it's flammable, right?" Teddie spoke up, wincing as Arianna checked her ribs for damage past some bruises. To her relief, no lasting damage had been done, thanks to her suit protecting her.
"Correct. Melting isn't necessary; with enough exposure, the HeatBot's rays could heat the metal, then superheat the fuel inside, resulting in a catastrophic explosion," Dr. K confirmed.
"That would wipe out most of the city, with the size of the depot," Spencer theorised. Nobody spoke as the threat loomed over them, leaving them all tense.
"Geez Ted, if you were any more tense you'd snap like your guitar strings," Jeremy commented as Teddie drummed her fingers against her side.
"I can't help it," she sighed. "Between the attack this morning, and Dillon running off again, it's a stressful day," she complained.
"You should be used to Dillon running off. He has a flair for the dramatics," Heckyl commented idly.
"Like you can talk," Ryan raised an eyebrow at him, and Heckyl smirked back at him.
"Nor can you," he replied, and Ryan grinned, unable to deny it. Teddie just sighed, not really paying attention to them.
"Dillon only runs off like that when his memories are involved. I just hope he hasn't done something stupid," she complained as they walked down the street.
"Without you there? Never," Heckyl earned an exasperated glower from the White Ranger. "He'll be fine. He's been around long enough that he isn't going to take off," he reassured, but Teddie didn't feel much better.
"On another subject, how's Spencer doing?" Jeremy asked, and Teddie's expression darkened. "Ouch. Whatever he did must have been real bad," he chuckled. He and Ryan had known that something bad had happened, but Arianna and Nora refused to elaborate when they'd offered up their DNA for the PaleoZord. "Care to elaborate?" Jeremy asked Heckyl, who looked concerned. He shook his head, trying not to get between Teddie and Spencer, understanding the reactions of both involved. After all, he'd once been in a similar position to Dr. K, only while she hadn't intended on it and succeeded, he had intended on it and failed.
"Yikes," Ryan could see that even he was conflicted, and cleared his throat. "How about a more cheery topic?" he asked, and to his surprise, Teddie giggled.
"Things must be bad if you're asking for a cheerier topic," she teased, and he grinned back.
"Hey, you three are the ones pushing positivity on me. I can't help it if I pick up on that," he gave a casual shrug, and Teddie laughed, before wincing. "You okay?" Ryan asked, noticing.
"Yeah, just got nailed in the ribs by Siren earlier. I think I pissed her off by calling her defective," Teddie considered.
"You make friends so well," Heckyl commented, tone dry as both Jeremy and Ryan laughed. Teddie stuck her tongue out at him.
"I make friends perfectly fine," she retorted, indignant.
"And enemies just as easily," he supplied, and she shoved him as the two just laughed more.
"Stop being mean!" she complained as she kept shoving at him.
"I'm just stating the truth," Heckyl grabbed her wrists.
"Yeah he is. You do make enemies really easily," Jeremy grinned, earning a glare.
"There's no point denying it, considering how much of a mess you two are," Ryan added in, and Teddie let out a wail.
"You're all mean!" she declared, before a laugh rang out.
"Really? This is how the mighty White Ranger behaves outside of battle?" immediately Teddie scowled, turning to where Siren was leaning against the wall. "No wonder this is all that's left of this sad excuse for a planet," she mocked.
"Hey-"
"I figured you'd slunk off back to Venjix after we chased the HeatBot off," Teddie stopped Ryan before he could rise to Siren's taunts. Blood pounded like drums in her ears as she fought off her own anger, hating that Siren could get to her so easily. "But instead you've come to mock me personally. I suppose I should consider your vendetta against me a reward that I've managed to piss you off," she managed an innocent smile.
"There it is," Jeremy chuckled, shaking his head.
"That smile still gets to me," Heckyl muttered as Siren straightened up. She tapped her mask again, and Teddie's brow rose a little.
"Something's...missing," she muttered, suddenly sure of it. Shaking her head, she snapped her fingers, and Grinders leapt out. Teddie sighed.
"Get-"
"Not a chance Ted," Jeremy cracked his neck. "You're not taking these guys on alone," he told her. Teddie rolled her eyes.
"Fine. Only till I get backup," Teddie sighed, knowing the three weren't planning on letting her fight alone. "Dr. K-"
'We're already aware of the signals at your location. All but Ranger Black are on route,' Dr. K replied before Teddie could finish speaking.
"Thanks," Teddie smiled a little, before pulling her Engine Cell from her pocket. "RPM, GET IN GEAR!" she Morphed into her suit and called on her hammer. Siren scoffed, running her finger down the crack of her mask again, before moving as Teddie got in close. As the two fought, the Grinders swarmed the three.
"Call to the beast inside! Set loose the Wolf!" Jeremy called on his animal spirit, which burst free with a howl and cut through the Grinders. Nearby, Ryan let out a shriek, the sound sending more flying, and grinned. He then disappeared, causing the Grinders to attack each other when they tried to hit him. Heckyl stepped back as the energy charged in his hands, before he let it fly to destroy more of the footsoldiers.
"At least your friends can hold their own," Siren taunted, and punched Teddie across the face. While her helmet absorbed most of the impact, Teddie stumbled, and jumped back to avoid the followup attack. She then scolded herself, clearing her mind of the distractions and Siren's barbs.
"Get it together Ted," she muttered to herself, grabbing her hammer again.
"Maybe one of them would have been a better choice. Maybe you could have done some real damage against Venjix," Siren shrugged, only to be kicked in the stomach as she moved to avoid the hammer swing. Teddie didn't reply, instead letting the head of her hammer drop towards the ground. Using the momentum, she swung with it and kicked Siren in the face, causing the mask to crack more. Siren let out a screech, staggering backwards.
"I ever tell you how stupid that mask is?" Teddie asked calmly, and Siren snarled.
"HeatBot!" she shrieked, and Teddie dodged just in time before the coils that the Attackbot used as a weapon swung by. "I really wanted the Princess to be the first one of you I destroyed, but you're a close second," Siren growled at her. Teddie swung her hammer at the Heatbot as it started to glow, and when it connected, there was a small pulse that launched everyone off their feet, including Siren.
"Ow…" Teddie groaned as the HeatBot beeped loudly.
"Teddie!" to her relief, the rest of the team arrived already Morphed.
"Jet Fists!" Arianna threw a punch at the HeatBot as it began to glow again.
"Wait, no-" before Siren could stop it, an even more powerful pulse threw everyone backwards.
Siren let out a growl as she saw the HeatBot run off, not that she was surprised. It was designed specifically for the fuel depot, and had some form of survival instincts. Blinking, it took her a moment to realise that her mask had broken even more and she could now see without it. "Huh," she murmured, reaching up to touch her face where a chunk had snapped.
"Yikes that hurt…" she jolted, looking around quickly to the young blond who was rubbing his head. "I definitely don't miss this part of the action," he chuckled to himself, not seeming to have noticed her presence. Siren smirked to herself. One of Ranger White's friends. If she killed him here, with her nearby, it was almost better than ending the Ranger's life herself. Slowly getting to her feet, she approached him quietly, and reached out to grab him.
Jeremy reacted faster than she expected, whirling around and grabbing her arm. A cry was startled out of her as he shoved her backwards against the wall. "Nice try, but-" he froze, staring down at her with blue eyes she couldn't look away from. "That's...impossible," he breathed, stunned. To her confusion, tears welled up in his eyes. "Cassie?" he dared to whisper.
The name had an immediate reaction on Siren, who felt an unfamiliar coldness settle in her chest like a weight that made it hard to breathe.
"What are you talking about?" she demanded with a growl, and Jeremy couldn't help but laugh.
"Cass, is it really you? It's me, Jeremy, remember?" he asked, and Siren tensed even more.
"Hey, Teddie," the White Ranger looked up and smiled as Cassie approached her. "I just wanted to say thanks. For what you said earlier. It really meant a lot," she said, and Teddie nodded.
"No problem. I meant what I said," she told the girl.
"I heard you playing guitar for your friends. You're really good," Cassie complimented, and Teddie blushed.
"Thanks, I-"
"Hey Ted," they looked around as Jeremy approached.
"Jeremy, how are you feeling?" Teddie smiled at him, and he shrugged.
"Ah you know. Whole," he said, and Teddie laughed as Cassie tilted her head, wondering just what he meant.
"Jeremy, this is Cassie, she's an amazing singer," Teddie introduced the pair, and Cassie blushed as Jeremy turned his blue gaze on her.
"Huh. Does this mean I can replace you?" he smirked, and Teddie slapped his arm.
"Not a chance, jerk!" she frowned at him. "JJ's a drummer," she explained to Cassie, who laughed.
"I see. And you're looking a new singer?" she asked, making Jeremy smile slightly.
"I…" Siren put her hand to her head as it throbbed painfully. She then realised what she felt. Terror. "Get off me!" she screamed, and the power behind it slammed Jeremy against the wall opposite them.
"Jeremy!" Teddie spotted them, sprinting over. He groaned, trying to get back to his feet, and Siren watched for a moment longer before sprinting off. "JJ, you alright?" Teddie caught the former Ranger as he staggered.
"Wait!" he shouted, but Siren was long gone.
"JJ, what's going on?" Teddie asked as the rest of the team ran over, wondering what the commotion was. Jeremy spun around to face Teddie, eyes wild.
"Ted, that was Cassie!" he shouted, and Teddie's breath caught.
"Wh...what?" she let him go.
"JJ," Ryan started slowly, hands raised as he approached their frenzied friend. "Cassie is-"
"She isn't dead!" Jeremy shouted at him.
"What's going on?" Ziggy spoke up, very confused.
"If Jeremy's right," Teddie turned to the rest of her team. "Then Siren isn't an Attackbot. She's a Hybrid like Dillon," she said quietly.
Night had fallen by the time Siren returned to the palace, avoiding everything she could as she made her way to the processing rooms. She then froze, when she saw Tenaya standing there, holding her arm tightly. Tenaya looked just as stunned to see her there.
"You have a face?" she managed to say, arching an eyebrow.
"News to me too," Siren muttered. "What are you doing in here? What's wrong with your-" Siren stopped as she saw the ripped fabric and a trail of blood by the skin. "Blood?" she whispered, rushing over. Immediately Tenaya raised her blaster, and Siren held up her hands. "Wait," she hissed.
"Why should I?" Tenaya hissed back at her.
"You're here to test that blood, aren't you? To see if you're a hybrid," Siren whispered, and Tenaya raised the blaster on her hand higher. "I said wait," Siren hissed, irritated, and pulled the rest of her mask off. It snapped under her fingers, revealing her face entirely, and Tenaya couldn't stop from staring.
Under part of the mask, her face was badly scarred. "Why do you think I'm here?" she whispered, and Tenaya's eyes widened.
"You're a hybrid?" she asked, stunned.
"Maybe. I don't know," Siren sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I ambushed Ranger White when she was with her friends, and my mask broke, and...one of them called me 'Cassie'," she explained.
"And you remembered something," Tenaya looked away, and Siren realised something similar had happened. Taking a breath, Tenaya put her arm down against the machine. She activated it, and it started to read the DNA in her blood. Siren watched her, never having seen her look so scared.
'DNA match confirmed. Sample is from Subject D78. Sibling DNA match confirmed. Sample is from Subject D44,' the system announced, and Siren inhaled sharply.
"Ranger Black?" she hissed as Tenaya stepped back.
'Subjects escaped from Venjix Palace. Subject D78 recaptured,' the computer showed footage of Dillon leading Tenaya through the corridor, and Siren realised she couldn't see. They watched as Tenaya was grabbed by Grinders, and as Dillon attempted to save her, he was hit from behind by Kilobyte. Tenaya staggered back, the memories returning to her.
"My turn…" Siren reluctantly removed her glove and placed her hand on the scanner.
'Fingerprint match confirmed. Sample is from Subject F28,' the computer said, and Siren realised she was staring at a picture of herself. The scarring was worse, travelling down to her throat and around it. Siren put a hand to her throat, feeling the metal plates, and put a hand to her head as sharp pain cut through her.
Humming to herself, Cassie fixed her hair and makeup in the mirror, excited. While she was sad that her world tour supporting Levi was over, she had been offered some fantastic music deals. And on top of that, she was finally going to see Jeremy again.
"Soon," she smiled brightly, looking at the picture of her and the blonde Master, who had an arm around her as he took the picture. "Can't wait," Cassie lifted her bus ticket for Ocean Bluff, where she was going to meet her boyfriend later that day.
Lifting her bag that she'd packed three times, Cassie grabbed her coat and ran down the stairs, calling a goodbye to her parents. As soon as she opened the door, a bright light seemed to explode out, and everything went white.
Siren collapsed to her knees, breathing heavily.
"I won't miss you when you're gone," the two looked up quickly, and found Kilobyte leaning against the wall.
"Who says we're going anywhere?" Tenaya snarled as Siren got back to her feet, both glaring at him.
"It's inevitable," Kilobyte shrugged, approaching them. "From now on, Tenaya 7, every time you see your brother, the Black Ranger, the memories will stir. And same for you, Siren 8, when you see the White Ranger, your old friend and close companion to your heroic sweetheart. You'll experience love, compassion, sadness. You'll grow weak, like all humans, and eventually you'll be destroyed, like all humans," Kilobyte shrugged as he casually moved around the room, looking at the tools lying around.
"No!" Siren whirled around. "No, I don't want those feelings! They're weak! They make humans-" she stopped, feeling sick.
"I refuse to be human," Tenaya snarled. "I've come too far, and fought too hard for a Venjix triumph," she growled to Kilobyte, who'd gotten close to them. She then turned away, thinking. "I've got to stop the memories…" she whispered.
"Then why not sever them at the source?" she glanced to Siren as she considered it. "The Black and White Rangers," Kilobyte chuckled as the two strode out, on a mission.
"That's very clever, but will you be able to bring yourself to do it?" he wondered to himself. "Will the loyalty to Venjix programmed into you win out, or will that tragic human emotion?" he questioned.
It was morning by the time the HeatBot was picked up, heading back to the fuel depot.
"Looks like we're just in time to cool things down," Scott considered as the team reached the HeatBot, who was already working to overheat one of the buildings. "RPM Enforcer!" they combined their weapons and fired, but their attack was deflected and they were immediately thrown to the ground.
"I'm getting tired of that…" Arianna complained.
"Hey! Try us on!" Spencer called as he and Annie reached the fight.
"Ice Mode!" the two activated the feature on their weapons as the HeatBot fired a jet of flames at them. The ice overpowered it, and completely surrounded the Attackbot in ice.
"Nice!" the others got up as they made sure the Attackbot wasn't about to break free.
"Cool moves," Scott grinned, before they were all blown off their feet by another explosion.
"I said it already...that's getting really old," the Mercury Ranger sighed. The team looked up to see Tenaya and Siren - no longer wearing a mask - approaching with cold stares.
"No...it really is her," Teddie whispered. She felt like she was going to be sick, thinking of how much they'd fought over the last year, intending to destroy the other. Destroy Cassie.
"What do you want?" Scott growled warily at the pair.
"It's the Hybrid I've come for," Tenaya's eyes didn't leave Dillon as she growled, confusing the team. Dillon, for once, didn't have a snarky reply, not standing as the rest did.
"You want one of us?" Scott growled.
"You have to go through all of us," Flynn backed him up as Dillon slowly got back up.
"Gladly," Siren snapped her fingers, and another fleet of Grinders rushed in. Tenaya forced Dillon away from the rest, as Siren focused on Teddie with anger in her dark eyes.
"Cass, please-"
"Don't call me that!" Siren shrieked, punching Teddie across her helmet. Teddie staggered backwards and fell as her vision spun, and Siren followed her. She then stopped, when Teddie suddenly demorphed, looking up at her.
"Cassie, you're my friend! I won't fight you, not anymore," she stood again, facing the Attackbot.
"Teddie!" Spencer shouted nearby, but was blocked off by more Grinders. Teddie didn't react to him as Siren glared at her.
"You remember, I know you do. We're friends," Teddie repeated with a shake of her head, and stepped to the side when Siren shot at her.
"You keep saying that, but it means nothing to me," she snarled, and Teddie felt pain in her chest at the words. "I don't want to be human. I don't want those tragic feelings that make you weak," Siren stepped towards her. Teddie didn't move, watching her sadly.
"They make us who we are, Cassie," she said as Siren stood close to her. "Do you really want to ignore those feelings? Of our friendship? What about Jeremy?" Teddie pushed, and Siren's fists clenched at the mention of the one who'd unlocked her feelings. "You helped bring him out of the darkness back then, and even when he thought you were dead, he kept moving forwards. Because of you," Siren realised she was suddenly out of breath, the weight on her chest back.
"Shut up," she whispered.
"It's okay to be afraid," Teddie refused to stop, even when Siren held her blaster up and pointed it at her. A tense, quiet moment passed between the two, and Siren took a deep breath.
"What am I supposed to do? I only lived because Venjix turned me into…" she put her free hand to her throat.
"My teacher once said, we should never confuse gratitude for responsibility. Venjix was also the one who destroyed most of this world. You don't owe him your allegiance," Teddie shook her head.
"Then what am I…" Siren trailed off, scared and lost and confused. The two looked up as they heard a scream, and found Tenaya hanging from the side of the bridge, dangling over a massive drop. Dillon was reaching out to her, desperately trying to help her. Teddie frowned at his actions, before looking at Siren and groaning.
"Don't tell me…" she murmured.
"Tenaya's a hybrid too," Siren confirmed, and immediately both raced over to Dillon to help him.
"Don't!" he snapped as Tenaya finally grabbed his hand.
"We're trying to help, idiot," Teddie rolled her eyes as she and Siren stood on either side of the Black Ranger. As he started to pull her up, they grabbed hold and helped him haul her over the side. Once she was safely back on the bridge, the two stepped back as Dillon kept her standing.
"Dillon! Teddie!" the rest of the team finally took out the Grinders and ran over, demorphing too. "Are you crazy? Why would you protect her?" Scott demanded, having seen Dillon take a blast meant for Tenaya. Tenaya stepped back, looking a little scared of the Rangers, and Dillon sighed.
"'cause she's my sister," he explained, taking everyone by surprise.
"Didn't Gem and Gemma say your sister was blind?" Arianna asked, confused.
"She's a hybrid! They must be robotic eyes!" Flynn realised, and Tenaya quickly raised a hand.
"And this one?" Spencer looked to Siren, who stared back defiantly.
"She's Cassie. My friend," Teddie said firmly, putting a gentle hand on Siren's arm. Spencer watched for a moment longer, and sighed.
"Of course," he shook his head. A moment later, the ground shook, and they looked around to see the Heatbot growing much larger.
"The family reunion is gonna have to wait," Scott growled. "Let's move!" he ordered, and they ran to rejoin the fight, leaving Siren and Tenaya behind, exchanging scared glances.
"Time to go major! Sky Rev Megazord Online!" the team approached the HeatBot in their Megazord, and it immediately turned up the heat. "Temperature rising!" Scott groaned as the Megazord jerked, losing control as the systems overheated to dangerous levels.
"I don't think so!" the HeatBot was slammed from the side by the PaleoZords. "Try this!" Arianna shouted, coating the Attackbot in a layer of ice from the Mammoth-style Zord. "PaleoMax Megazord, activate!" she called to combine the three Zords. With a powerful strike, the Megazord cut through the HeatBot, causing it to explode.
The moment they were sure the Attackbot was gone, Teddie and Dillon leapt from their Zords and demorphed, racing back to where they'd left the two hybrids.
"Tenaya!" Dillon reached the bridge first, and to his frustration, there was nobody else there.
"Cassie?" Teddie tried. Again, no response, and Dillon punched the railing as Teddie ran a hand through her hair. The bridge then shook, knocking both off balance, as a massive explosion in the city revealed a new Attackbot towering over them. "Oh come on," Teddie groaned.
"Uh, what's that?" the rest of the Rangers were still in their Megazords as the new Attackbot, looking far more dangerous than the HeatBot, raced towards them. It then leapt through the air and slammed both fists into the SkyRev Megazord, immediately knocking it over. To their surprise, however, it then leapt away, shrinking and disappearing.
"Whatever that was...I have a feeling it'll be back," Scott muttered.
Returning to the garage, the team was very quiet, processing what had taken place that morning. Both Tenaya and Siren revealed as Hybrids; with Tenaya being the sister Dillon had been desperately searching for. And now the threat of a new, powerful Attackbot, that had disappeared after landing one hit on the SkyRev Megazord. Plus, both Tenaya and Siren had disappeared, leaving everyone wondering if they had returned to Venjix. They'd spent a large chunk of the afternoon searching the city, and were only returning for a small break to recharge.
"Show me the areas we've searched so far," Dillon told Dr. K as she stepped out of her lab.
"Everything in green," she gestured to the map on screen.
"We'll cover this area next, then go south to St. Claire Heights, then-"
"Statistically, you have a better chance of being bitten by a shark, than finding your sister," Dr. K interrupted Dillon's planning, and earned a harsh glare.
"As blunt as her words are, Dr. K is right," Arianna agreed. "Trust me, I know about search parties, and while your methods are good…" she trailed off, a little nervous as Dillon turned his glare on her.
"We have to consider that they don't want to be found," Teddie spoke up quietly. She didn't want to think about it, let alone say it, but she remembered how scared her friend had been when she'd tried to get through to her.
"Look, they're clever girls. If they don't want to be found, then…" Flynn shrugged.
"And you don't know if…"
"They're still in the city," the twins added in, having been assisting too.
"Fine…" Dillon muttered, storming past them.
"Hold it," Scott sighed. "Just wait," he used a harder tone when the Ranger didn't stop. Dillon finally turned to him, his expression challenging as he waited for Scott to try and order him. "We're gonna keep looking. All of us," he glanced at his team, and they all nodded.
"Spencer and Annie are using the tower to try and track them down too," Summer added. Dillon was quiet for a moment, before managing a small smile. They turned to go back to their vehicles as even Dr. K looked determined, returning to her lab.
"Hey…" Ziggy was the first to spot the pair, as Tenaya and Siren stepped into the garage. Dillon approached his sister, who had lost any of the coldness she'd had before.
"So you believe me," Dillon said quietly.
"Yeah…" Tenaya nodded, awkward. "And I want to help," she said. She then looked to Siren, who was rubbing her arm.
"We want to help," Siren corrected.
At long last, the truth comes out!
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