Chapter 7: The Cybergate Opens
Humming along to the music playing through her headphones, Ryne took full advantage of having an entire lab at her disposal to repair the little night-light she'd originally made for Asher. Currently she stood alone in the lab, wearing her blue headphones and a pair of goggles as she worked, occasionally singing along quietly to what she was listening to.
It hadn't been long after she had become the Pink Ranger, that Nate had told her that she was welcome to use the lab whenever she wanted, having seen very quickly that she enjoyed building and fixing random devices - mainly repairing them - and she'd taken him up on the offer.
"Hey Ryne," the voice barely reached Ryne, partly due to the music, and partly due to her focus, and it took a moment longer for her to register that someone had greeted her. She looked up, and pulled her headphones and goggles down to rest around her neck, to smile at Ben and Betty as they walked in.
"Hey guys. What brings you here?" she asked.
"Nate asked us to test the new tracking device he built," Betty grinned, looking excited. Not that Ryne was surprised. The boisterous girl loved trying new things.
"I think he left it over there," she pointed over to the other desk, and Betty rushed over to grab the device and the tracking chip as well.
"What are you doing?" Ben asked, looking down at the device that was currently in pieces in front of Ryne. "Still trying to fix that thing?" he asked, and Ryne nodded.
"I'm pretty sure Asher spilled water on it and just didn't wanna admit it. The whole thing is fried," she told him. "Have to replace pretty much everything," she grumbled, poking at the circuit board lying in front of her.
"Really? Asher always seemed so...together," Betty commented, a little surprised. Ryne laughed, nodding.
"She usually is, but she has some pretty clumsy moments. And they only get worse when she gets embarrassed. It's funny to watch," she admitted.
"You guys are really close. I kinda would have expected you to be sisters," Betty commented, fiddling with the tracking chip in her hand. Ryne shrugged, a little embarrassed.
"Nah. We've just always gotten on. But she has a brother, and our other cousins are both guys, so we kinda stuck together. Especially considering Kai and Niall are a pair of goblins sometimes," she muttered, making the two standing with her laugh.
Soon after, Ben and Betty disappeared to test the tracker in a game of hide and seek, leaving Ryne to continue what she was doing. Nate had returned to his lab a little while later, grumbling about ice-cream before he got back to work on the new weapons he'd been building. Inspired after making Ryne's chakrams a few weeks before, he'd been working hard to keep the Ranger arsenal going so they would continue getting stronger.
Ryne didn't look up from her work as Nate finished his latest creation and walked over to place it with the other weapons on the rack for teleportation when needed. He smiled proudly at the small pistol, which shone brightly.
"Phenomenal," he murmured, pleased, and walked back to his desk to lift another device to put into his bag. However, as he went to slip out without the Pink Ranger noticing, the doors slid open and the young genius stopped in his tracks as the other Rangers walked in.
"Nate, where are you off to?" Devon asked, eyebrow raised as he knew the face of someone caught doing something they shouldn't.
"I'm developing some new weapon prototypes," he gestured to the rack, and they looked over at them. "Gonna upgrade them with animal DNA, so I...thought I'd...head to the woods and get some insect DNA to work with," with that, Nate quickly turned to leave, but Ravi stopped him.
"Hold up," Nate grimaced as he was forced to turn around. "Dude, you know the rule. You're not supposed to go off base without an escort," he reminded him, and Nate sighed as Ravi put an arm around him. "You're too important," he pointed out.
"I need this DNA. If anything happens, I can handle myself," Nate argued, still unhappy with the rule that he had to have a "buddy" in order to go anywhere. The training with Lewis was okay, and he was finding that he enjoyed it, but the 'buddy system' was still insulting.
"Why not let us come along and keep you company?" Zoey suggested with a small smile.
"Fine," Nate forced a smile, pulling out of Ravi's grip to go to the door.
"Ryne!" Devon called over to the Pink Ranger, finally earning her attention. She looked up, lifting one of her headphones. "Field trip, come on," he told her. Ryne resisted a huff, trying not to complain about being dragged away from her own project, and followed them out. "I don't think these are necessary," Devon tapped the goggles, and Ryne pulled them down.
"Sorry. They help me focus," she said, embarrassed. Devon looked like he wanted to ask how, but decided against it as they headed off to help Nate find what he needed.
"Get a move on! There's no time to waste!" Scrozzle's grating voice shrieked as he ordered the Tronics around, having them doing the hard work.
"So...this is your Cybergate?" Scrozzle barely even looked at the three Avatars who approached him. While Scrozzle had wanted it to be kept from them, eventually he relented and shared in his plan to free Evox from the Cyber Dimension.
"It looks like you dragged it out of the trash heap," Asher said, unable to hide her little derisive laugh. Blaze nodded, as unimpressed.
"This hunk of junk is going to get Evox out of the Cyber Dimension. Really?" he asked, sceptical.
"Oh, it will!" Scrozzle nodded confidently, ignoring their insults. "But there's one last thing I need. Once Evox has been transported through the Cybergate portal, he must upload himself into a robot body, and I don't exactly have the know-how to make a robot strong enough to contain all of Evox's data," he admitted, taking them by surprise. He seemed intelligent enough to have made his Tronic army, not to mention the Gigadrones.
"What?" Roxy frowned, voicing her confusion. "If you don't, then who does?" she demanded.
"The same person who made the supercomputer Evox is trapped in," Scrozzle explained as he walked past them and lifted a magazine he'd left lying around. "This kid," he gestured to the young man on the cover. "'Boy genius designs revolutionary robots'," he read aloud.
"You need Nate?" Asher asked, a smirk returning to her face.
"He's tiny. We'll capture him easily," Roxy said, laughing at how easy their mission was.
"Good," Scrozzle nodded, appeased. "And we're going to need extra Morph-X for the portal," he added, glancing at their meager supplies.
"Fine," Blaze rolled his eyes, not happy that Scrozzle was ordering them around. "Anything to get Evox out of the Cyber Dimension," he said, glancing at Roxy and Asher.
"And anything to get you to stop screeching," Asher added, and the three walked away to get started.
"That's the spirit! We'll put a smile on Master Evox's face!" Scrozzle declared, grabbing his blueprints again and returning to the Cybergate to ensure that everything was right.
Nate wandered around the trees in the forest, searching for any kind of insect that he could utilise. Zoey was trying her best to help him, rushing around with enthusiasm that only she could muster. Devon was playing a game on his phone, while Ravi watched curiously, never having had time to play many games. Ryne had scaled a tree, sitting on one of the branches as she watched them.
Nate murmured to the praying mantis that he'd spotted scaling a tree. It stayed still, allowing him to scan its DNA for use in one of his weapons. He was completely focused on what he was doing, even seeming oblivious to the loud sounds coming from Devon's phone. Ryne tilted her head, wondering if she was that bad.
"What other insects are around?" Nate wondered, leaving the praying mantis alone to continue his hunt. Zoey rushed over, looking excited.
"How about this spider? It's an arachnid, but-" she was cut off when Nate turned and gave a terrified yell, jumping back from the spider sitting in Zoey's hand. He took another few steps back, turning pale as Zoey was startled by his reaction.
"I love pretty much all creatures, but not spiders," Nate shuddered as he watched the spider crawling across Zoey's hand. "T-thanks, though," he quickly rushed past her.
"Oh...okay," Zoey managed a smile, watching as he put as much distance as he could between them.
"Spiders, really?" Ryne asked as Zoey let the spider crawl off her hand and onto the tree that Ryne was perched in.
"Well, what are you scared of?" Zoey asked her, and Ryne tilted her head, thinking about it.
"Clowns," she said, so simply that the Yellow Ranger couldn't help but laugh.
"Really?" she asked, not quite able to believe that Ryne was scared of such a thing.
"I refuse to believe anyone is really that cheerful. Especially when they look so ridiculous," Ryne told her, her legs swaying in the breeze as she didn't move from where she sat on a branch with perfect balance. Zoey laughed again.
"Fair," she allowed.
"Yes! Level cleared!" Devon cheered, making them glance around. "Wanna try?" He offered it to Ravi to have a go, trying to teach him how to play. Ryne and Zoey smiled at the interaction, while Nate spotted a beetle lazily walking across a rock.
"A scarab beetle," he breathed, excited at the rare find. However, as he went to scan it, Ravi's wristcom beeped. Frowning, he passed Devon back his phone.
'Rangers, a Robotron has been spotted stealing Morph-X in Sector Lima 8-3,' Commander Shaw warned.
"Roger that," Ravi nodded.
"Nate, go back to base where you'll be safe," Devon warned as Ryne landed beside Zoey, barely making a sound.
"I'm not done yet!" Nate protested. "I just found this scarab beetle," he complained.
"Nate-"
"I know, it's the rule," Nate rolled his eyes when Ravi tried to remind him again. "Okay, I'll go," he allowed, but his frustration was clear.
"Thanks Nate," Zoey offered a sympathetic smile before she followed Devon, Ravi and Ryne away. Nate rolled his eyes and turned back to the beetle, scanning it.
"I wish just one person didn't treat me like a little kid," Nate grumbled to the beetle. "That's why I always wanted a brother," he confessed, and the device beeped as the DNA was successfully scanned. "Scarab beetle DNA, and praying mantis DNA. Phenomenal," despite his irritation over being treated like he was helpless, he couldn't help but smile at his find. However, as he slipped them into his pocket and turned to leave, he froze, seeing red, yellow and pink lights flash, and the three Avatars stood in his path. Before Nate could react, Roxy punched out, wrapping cables around his chest to pin his arms to his sides, so tight that it cracked his wristcom. "What do you want?" he whimpered, struggling as they approached him.
"We need to pick your brain, tech boy," Blaze smirked.
"Come on now," Asher laughed, grabbing his arm roughly so they could drag him along.
Meanwhile, in town, people ran screaming from the Robotron that was stealing Morph-X from cars.
"Morph-X!" he laughed as he jammed his device into another of the new cars that Mayor Daniels had authorised. "Like taking candy from a baby!" the Robotron declared as he drained the car. "Tronics! My canister is full. Get me another!" he ordered, and two Tronics rushed over. While one removed the canister on his shoulder, another attached a new one. "Careful with that, every drop counts," the Robotron warned as he watched the Tronic climb onto the truck nearby and start to pour the contents into a barrel. "We've got a big order to fill!" he shouted at them.
Their work was interrupted by the screeching of tyres, and they looked around to see the Rangers emerging from the jeep nearby.
"Let's go, team!" Devon called.
"Oh look, the Rangers," the Robotron aimed his weapon at them. "I'm gonna clean them off the face of the Earth!" he shouted, charging up his weapon. He fired, and the four dove behind a car for cover. "Don't be shy!" he taunted, barely missing Ravi.
"It's Morphin' Time!" Devon shouted, and they stood quickly, raising their wrists as they called on their Morphers.
"ACTIVATE BEAST POWER!" they Morphed into their Pink, Yellow, Blue and Red suits. "Unleash the Beast!" they chanted as they stood together.
"Tronics!" the Robotron shouted, and the identical robots all left what they were doing to run at the Rangers. They were no match for the four, however, as the Rangers easily fought them off and threw them aside.
"Bye-bye, Rangers!" They looked up as they heard the low rumble of a truck, and saw the truck carrying Morph-X starting to drive away, with the Robotron on the back.
"Hey! Stop that truck!" Devon shouted, only to find his path blocked by more Tronics.
"Oh no!" Zoey groaned.
"Get out of the way!" Ryne called on her chakrams and cut through the robots trying to surround her. She threw them, cutting through the Tronics and making those it missed scatter backwards, right into Devon's path.
"Beast Blast!" Ravi and Zoey blasted the last of the Tronics, freeing them from their fight. "Now where did that Robotron drive off to?" Zoey asked as they regrouped.
"Don't know, but we gotta get that Morph-X," Ravi frowned.
"Let's split up and find it," Devon decided. The four then ran off in separate directions to search for the truck and the stolen Morph-X.
Asher couldn't help but laugh at Nate's useless struggling, watching as Roxy shoved him towards the warehouse that Scrozzle had set up base in.
"Whatever you want from me, you're not gonna get it," he warned, but his voice quivered, betraying his fear.
"Oh, you're so brave," Blaze mocked him, laughing too as Nate continued to fight against the much stronger Avatars.
"Scrozzle, you're a genius!" They arrived just in time to hear the robot singing his own praises. "A genius, I tell you!" he declared.
"Are we interrupting?" Asher asked, rolling her eyes at his arrogance.
"Where am I?" Nate asked, staring at the massive machine behind Scrozzle.
"Welcome to your new laboratory," Scrozzle greeted with a laugh, as Blaze freed him from his bindings and shoved him forwards. Nate looked at Scrozzle for a moment, before his gaze was drawn back to the massive machine.
"What is that thing?" Nate asked, confused.
"Well, boy genius, I'm Scrozzle, and I used your Neural Aligner to make my masterpiece - the Cybergate!" Scrozzle declared, gesturing to the machine as Tronics continued to work on building it. Nate frowned, confused.
"What do you want with me?" he asked, not understanding why they'd taken him.
"You," he jumped when Blaze clapped his hands forcefully to Nate's shoulders, making him flinch in pain. "Are going to build us, a very special robot," he told the young man, who glared as the three Avatars laughed.
"You'll be pleased to hear that we have everything you'll need," Scrozzle brought his attention to the pile of tech sitting on a nearby workbench. Nate's eyes widened as he recognised it.
"Hey, that's my Grid Battleforce tech too!" he realised.
"Stolen, by yours truly!" Scrozzle told him, and Nate remembered what the others had mentioned. When they'd been trapped inside the hidden hangar, Scrozzle had appeared briefly, stealing a collection of random tech. "Memory drives, weapons, sensors," he listed, holding each thing up. "But you need to put it together into a robot, just like you did with your Beast Bots," Scrozzle shoved a blueprint at him. "Any questions?" he asked as Nate took it. He glanced over at the machine nearby, his mind racing.
"That portal...and a robot?" finally it clicked, and he turned to the four watching him. "You're trying to bring Evox back to our dimension!" Nate shouted, horrified.
"And the boy genius gets another one right," Asher laughed mockingly. Nate glared at her.
"I would never help you," he growled.
"Oh yes you will," Roxy gave a dangerous smile.
"Otherwise…" Scrozzle trailed off as Roxy lifted the two dangerous weapons in her hands. Nate eyed them warily, knowing that they wouldn't hesitate to hurt him. As they laughed, he turned away from them, staring at the tech. After a moment, he turned back, his eyes big.
"Okay," his voice quivered, as if he were on the verge of tears. "I know what I have to do. Please, don't hurt me. Please," he pleaded, voice breaking.
"Wow, easier than I thought," Asher snorted as Roxy giggled, lowering her guns.
"Told you he was pathetic," she said, before her smile faded into a more dangerous look. "Get to work," she told him. Nate immediately turned around, starting to work as the three Avatars and Scrozzle laughed.
When it quickly became apparent that the Rangers wouldn't have any luck finding the Robotron and the stolen Morph-X on foot, they quickly called on faster ways. While Devon sped through the city on Cruise's bike form, Zoey used her Zord to check from the skies, while Ravi drove through the city and Ryne navigated
'No sign of that bot downtown in Sector Delta 7-7,' Devon reported.
'And nothing visible in Sector Tango 2-5,' Zoey answered next.
"No luck in Foxtrot 2-3," Ryne answered, jumping a low wall and turning the corner to continue her search.
'Sector Echo 8-4 has nothing either,' Ravi spoke up, and Devon's frustrated sigh came through on all their communications.
'Let's get back to base. We may have some better luck there,' he decided.
'On it,' Ravi agreed.
'Good plan. Hopefully they've had better luck than us,' Zoey sighed as she directed her Zord back.
"Heading back now," Ryne confirmed, keeping a lookout even as she changed directions and made her way back to Grid Battleforce.
Commander Shaw looked concerned, which was definitely not good, in Lewis' opinion. The woman normally hid her emotions well, and for her to be worried, meant they all should be worried.
As the official combat instructor for the Rangers, Lewis was allowed access to the Command Room, as it allowed him to watch the Rangers in action and take note of where he thought they were lacking. Or in this case, help to locate Nate, who hadn't returned to the base.
"Anything?" Commander Shaw asked as Lewis walked back into the room. He shook his head, unable to keep even the traces of a smile. He'd been trying to get hold of the genius after Commander Shaw had noticed his absence. While Nate had disagreed with the buddy system that she'd implemented, he still followed it, and for him to have vanished without anyone accompanying him, worried them all. "Try his cellphone again," she told the young man, who nodded and took his phone from his pocket.
As he did, the doors to the Command Room opened again, and they looked around hopefully. However, instead of Nate, the Rangers returned, looking grim. "Any luck finding that Robotron?" Commander Shaw asked them, aware of the other problem at hand.
"None of us found a thing," Devon said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Understood," Commander Shaw sighed lightly. "But right now, we've got another problem," they frowned, wondering what could be more urgent than the stolen Morph-X. "Nate hasn't returned to base, and his communicator is offline," she said, and Zoey groaned.
"We left him alone in the woods," she said.
"He could be in trouble, we gotta save him," Ravi said, and the four turned to leave.
"Hold on," Commander Shaw stopped them, her voice softer than usual. "Nate's a capable young man. Don't count him out just yet," she said, confident in Nate's abilities.
"But he's not a fighter, Commander," Devon argued. "He can't defend himself," he shook his head as all four looked worried.
"I wouldn't put it like that," Lewis interrupted, shaking his head as he returned his phone to his pocket, having had no luck getting through to Nate. "Just because he doesn't have the experience of fighting, doesn't mean he's completely helpless. There's more than one way to fight a battle," he told them.
"Against the Avatars?" Ravi couldn't put faith in his confidence.
"Commander, uh…" the doors opened to reveal Ben and Betty, who were bruised and covered in dirt and leaves. "We have some bad news," Ben said weakly, and Commander Shaw had to fight the impulse to put a hand to her head, feeling a headache coming on.
"You know that truck that got away with the Morph-X? Well, we saw it, and our tracker tag, it…" Betty trailed off as her voice shook. "It…" tears welled up in her eyes.
"It fell onto the back of the truck...sorry," Ben sighed heavily, feeling guilty that they'd lost another piece of tech.
"Wait…" Ryne frowned. "You guys were testing it, right? Was it active?" she asked, and the two looked at each other.
"I don't think I turned it off," Betty admitted, and Ryne smiled.
"Then you haven't lost it, you've given us a beacon right to the Morph-X," their eyes widened at Ryne's laugh. "And if they used a truck, it means that it's probably still in this dimension. Meaning...it's most likely with Nate as well," she considered, looking at the other Rangers.
"Oh!" Ben tried to brush past the part about Nate being missing, and activated the tracker in his hands. It beeped, and began to show a flashing red symbol in the direction of the tag. "I've got a lock!" He zoomed in on the location, bringing up a map of the city. "It's in the old warehouse district that got abandoned. In Sector Kilo 1-8," he told them.
"Great work, Ben and Betty," Commander Shaw smiled warmly at the pair. "Bring him back, safe and sound," she told the Rangers, who nodded and hurried out of the room, determined to find Nate and help him.
"Urgh, I'm bored," Asher complained as she watched the Tronics setting up the last of the Cybergate.
"Then find a way to entertain yourself," Blaze told her, sounding uninterested. Asher turned her attention to him, watching Blaze with sharp green eyes. "What?" he growled, not looking at her, but he was all too aware of her gaze.
"Fight me," this finally got Blaze to look at her, and he arched an eyebrow. "Come on, spar or whatever," Asher requested, smirking at him. "Unless you're scared?" she taunted, and watched him visibly react to her jabs. The faintest of smirks flickered across his face as he turned to her fully.
"Why would I be scared of someone who's never beaten me before?" he growled low, and Asher laughed.
"Thinking of the old Asher? You're in for a surprise if you think it'll be that easy," she taunted him, and the two moved into fighting stances, ready to spring into action at the slightest provocation.
"No! None of that!" Scrozzle snapped as he spotted the pair. "If either of you idiots damage even one piece of my Cybergate, Evox will turn you into Tronics!" he warned. Blaze and Asher didn't move, watching each other. Finally Asher scoffed, and straightened up.
"Whatever," she rolled her eyes and walked away, just as the Robotron they'd created arrived, leading in more Tronics that carried large barrels of Morph-X.
"Well done," Blaze said. "That should be more than enough," he considered, watching as they poured the green liquid into glass jars for use with the machine. Roxy walked over to Nate, checking on his progress with the robot, while Asher admired the Morph-X filling the jars.
"Tronics!" Roxy shouted for the robots. "Put the robot in place," she ordered. Two of the Tronics walked over, lifting the heavy robot.
"Careful!" Nate warned nervously. "It's very high-tech," he told them, watching as they carried it over to the Gate.
Outside of the warehouse, Devon, Ravi and Zoey waited behind cover nervously, waiting for Ryne. After finding the truck that had gotten away from them, they'd confirmed that it was the right place, and Devon had told them to wait while he checked it out. However, Ryne had told him she'd go, and seemed to have vanished.
"Where is she?" Ravi muttered, on edge and not wanting to waste time.
"I hope she's okay," Zoey mumbled, already worried enough about Nate.
"I'm fine," they jumped, whirling around to see Ryne standing behind them. She tilted her head, looking innocent. "What?" she asked, sounding just as innocent.
"I know you're sneaking, but you don't have to do it to us," Devon complained, and saw a devious smile appear fleetingly on her face. It was gone just as quickly, replaced with a serious look.
"I didn't wanna get too close. Asher is an Avatar yeah, but her senses might still be pretty good. There's a broken window near the back that I was able to look through," Ryne started, gesturing near the back of the large warehouse. "Nate's inside with Asher, Blaze and Roxy. He doesn't look hurt, but they're building some huge machine, and it can't be good. I have a feeling they grabbed Nate to help with whatever they have planned," she explained what she'd seen inside. She hadn't been able to get as good a look at the massive machine, but she knew that whatever it was, wasn't good for them.
"Come on, we gotta get in there," Ravi said, and they nodded, hurrying out of their hiding place. However, before they could take more than a couple of steps, they were blasted, thrown off their feet.
"Evox is returning to this world to rule it!" the Robotron from before had spotted them as they'd emerged. "You Rangers can't stop him!" he declared.
"Evox? That's not good," Zoey gulped as they got back to their feet. Their clothes were scorched where they'd been hit, and small burns stung at them.
"That machine must be a way to transfer Evox's data from one dimension to another," Ryne considered. "But he'd need a way to stay solid in this dimension...they must have kidnapped Nate to build something," she realised.
"We can think about that later," Devon stopped her before she could think too deeply on the matter.
"And now you bite the dust!" the Robotron declared.
"Not if we wipe you out first," Devon retorted.
"ACTIVATE BEAST POWER!" they shouted, using their keys to Morph into their Ranger suits. "Transport Beast-X Sabre!"
"Transport Beast Spinners!" They grabbed their weapons from midair as they ran at the Robotron, and avoided his attacks as he reached them and lashed out. The four fought him off with their strong attacks, catching Devon as he was knocked backwards.
"Thanks," he nodded to them, and continued to fight, hitting the robot with his sword as Ryne threw one of her Spinners, cursing as it missed. She was still learning how to use them, which meant she wasn't entirely flawless with her accuracy when using them. However, Lewis insisted she use them in battle, as the experience would help far more than in a training environment. "You good?" Devon caught Zoey when she stumbled.
"Yeah, but we need to get to Nate, quick," she frowned, looking over at the warehouse.
"We gotta get past this Robotron," Devon muttered, and the two gasped, pushing apart as the Robotron got past Ravi and Ryne and went after them.
"Guys, focus!" Ryne shouted at them. "We're all worried about Nate, but we need to focus on the problem at hand. Dividing our attention will get us killed," she told them.
"I think we picked right, making her the second in command," Devon muttered as he got back to his feet. Zoey nodded her agreement. Ryne, deciding not to acknowledge their words, threw her chakrams at the Robotron. He screeched as both hit him, creating twin showers of sparks, but as Ryne used her powers to pull the spinning weapons back, he recovered and fired a blast that hit Ryne in the chest. She cried out, hitting the ground.
"Ryne!" the others shouted as she coughed, winded from the blow. Their opponent was strong, and before long the other three had joined Ryne on the ground. The Robotron laughed as he stood over the groaning team.
"Time to get rid of this filth," he declared.
"The only filth here is you!" Devon shouted as they forced themselves back up, only to be thrown backwards. Devon fell to the ground, groaning as the other three ran to try and help him up.
"Hold still!" They looked up just in time for Zoey, Ravi and Ryne to take more hits, throwing them away from Devon and to the ground. "I'm mopping the floor with you!" he declared, laughing as they breathed heavily, their bodies aching as their suits struggled to protect them.
"We can't give up," Devon muttered, and they got back up to continue fighting.
Inside and ignoring the ruckus going on outside, Scrozzle eagerly directed the Tronics to place the large, bulky robot in the Cybergate.
"Yes, right there, under the Neural Aligner!" he instructed brightly. "My plan is finally happening! It's time to witness history in the making!" Scrozzle exclaimed, eager to continue with the plan he'd been working on for Evox almost since they'd met. His genius would finally be appreciated.
"Would you just get on with it? You're giving me a headache," Asher complained, leaning her head back and pinching the bridge of her nose. Nearby, Nate hadn't moved from his workbench, looking like he was going to be sick.
"Impatient brat," Scrozzle shot at Asher, who pulled a face in response. Grumbling, Scrozzle pressed the buttons on the console beside him, and flipped the large switch. A loud whirring sound echoed, and the back of the Cybergate lit up.
"It's working!" Roxy exclaimed, seeing a gateway to the Cyber Dimension forming. A moment later, Evox materialised, his snake form slowly emerging through the portal towards the robot. They watched, eager for their victory as Nate's eyes widened.
"At last, I can leave my cyber prison and take control of this new and mighty body!" Evox laughed as he slowly made his way towards the robot. Data flowed through the Cybergate, and started to light up the robot waiting for its host. "Soon, the powers of the Morphin' Grid will be mine!" he declared, and began to laugh eagerly as he began to download into the robot. However, a shot of golden energy suddenly fired over their shoulders, hitting the back of the Cybergate.
"What? No!" Scrozzle shrieked as the machine sparked and exploded, creating a tunnel of purple flames. The explosion threw Scrozzle and the three Avatars several feet back, and they all landed on their backs, disorientated from the blast.
"No!" Evox roared as he was forced out of the robot and dragged backwards. "Stop this!" he screamed as he was pulled back through the portal, which then closed in a flash of white light. Roxy gave a furious yell as she watched from the ground.
"He's ruined our plan!" she screeched.
"Then he's outlived his purpose," Asher growled.
"Someone get him!" Blaze shouted as they struggled to try and get up, briefly stunned from the explosion.
Seeing his chance, Nate ran over to the Cybergate, holding the small blaster he'd teleported in after fixing his Wristcom. He took two shots, hitting the canisters of Morph-X above, and they began to flow into the Neural Aligner.
"No! My Cybergate!" Scrozzle shrieked as he saw Nate standing under the aligner. He pulled the two vials from his pocket, containing the DNA from the praying mantis and scarab beetles he'd found that morning. There was a boom that sounded like thunder, and Nate groaned, clamping his eyes shut as a strange sensation filled his head and began to flood through his body, making him tingle.
"Stop!" Blaze shouted as they tried to get up. "What's he doing?!" he roared as green light swirled around Nate, hiding him from view. A moment later, the light turned gold and exploded out, throwing them back down.
Hearing the explosions from outside, Zoey's eyes widened.
"Nate! We gotta get in there!" she shouted, getting back to her feet and racing towards the warehouse.
"Zoey, no!" Ryne shouted as Zoey turned her back on their fight and tried to get to their friend. Devon, Ravi and Ryne grabbed the Robotron, trying to stop him, but he shoved them aside and took aim, hitting Zoey in the back with another powerful shot.
"No!" Zoey cried, looking at her destination fearfully. She'd never make it.
The golden light continued to swirl, glowing so brightly it was almost blinding. Finally, after a moment, it faded, and the three Avatars stared at Nate, who was standing in front of them wearing a golden suit.
"Phenomenal!" he cheered, putting a hand to his helmet, which had horns protruding from it. "The mantis DNA worked!" he laughed. "I'm a Ranger!" Nate cheered, excited that his plan had worked so well.
"He played us…" Blaze snarled.
"Gold? Seriously?" Asher spat as she finally found the strength to stand. She grabbed the key that Scrozzle had made her, while Blaze and Roxy did the same, and the three called on their armour.
"You'll pay for messing up our plan, tech boy!" Roxy shouted, furious that they'd been tricked so easily.
"Bring it!" Nate took a few steps forward, holding his blaster, but stopped as the three suddenly reared back. He heard the whirring of something powering up behind him, and turned to see the robot he'd built suddenly stand up. As its face lit up, it changed, forming horns similar to the ones on Nate's helmet. "No way…" he breathed, and there was a rumble as silver lights suddenly appeared and swirled around the robot. When they faded, it was wearing a Ranger suit like Nate's, only Silver in colour. "You...you just Morphed!" Nate gasped, struggling to find the words.
"Oh, is that what happened?" to his surprise, the robot replied. "Fantastic! I am amazing!" he laughed.
"Silver too? What the hell is this joke?" Asher sneered.
"Two more Rangers…" Blaze growled, furious. "No matter, we'll destroy you both," he declared. The robot walked forwards to stand beside Nate.
"Ha! Not a chance. They're no match for the two of us," he declared cheerfully. Nate couldn't look away, amazed by what he'd inadvertently created.
"This whole deal is going into the toilet!" Scrozzle wailed, furious that his plan had fallen apart so easily. He pressed a button on the device on his wrist, and vanished in a flurry of purple sparks.
"Coward," Asher rolled her eyes.
"This oughta help. Transport Striker Morpher!" Nate called on a second pistol. "It's all yours," he held it out to his new companion.
"Shiny! I like it!" he exclaimed as he took the small blaster, admiring it.
"You're both going down!" Blaze summoned his sword in a flash of red light, and the three Avatars ran at them with angry yells.
"Wrong, we're going up!" the robot exclaimed, and both he and Nate leapt into the air, sailing over their heads. They fought off the Tronics that ran in, trying to stop them, and threw Blaze, Asher and Roxy back before firing shots that threw the three Avatars into the empty barrels nearby.
"How are they beating us?!" Roxy shrieked, furious. Her form flickered violently.
"With flair," the Silver Ranger declared.
"Oh, I look forward to dismantling you," Asher warned, and the three vanished in red, yellow and pink flashes of lights.
"Zoey, please, you have to focus on this guy!" Ryne pleaded as she pulled Zoey to her feet.
"But-"
"If we don't stop this guy, then we won't get past them to help Nate," Ryne stopped Zoey from turning back, determined to try and get her to listen. "We have to trust him, and believe what the Commander and Lewis told us. He's smart, and he'll keep himself alive. But we need to do the same if we're going to help him!" Ryne raised her voice, startling Zoey. The Pink Ranger was by far the quietest of them, rarely raising her voice unless necessary.
"Okay, let's go," she nodded, and the two ran to try and help Devon and Ravi.
"So long, suckers!" The Robotron blasted them, however, and the four fell to their knees, struggling to muster the strength to keep going. Their opponent was strong, and they just couldn't keep up. Their injuries were starting to hinder them, as their suits could only protect them from so much.
"We need to get up…" Ryne groaned, trying to ignore her protesting body and get back up. However, her legs refused to cooperate, and she fell back down on one knee.
"You're all washed up, Rangers!" the Robotron mocked as he charged his weapon again. "Prepare to be destroyed," the four breathed heavily, trying to will themselves to move as he ran at them with a yell, only to be blasted from the side. The Robotron gave a yell, falling backwards as the Rangers stared at the Silver and Gold Rangers who landed in front of them.
"This mess will be an optimal test of our Ranger powers," the Gold Ranger declared, excited as the Robotron got back up, growling.
"What's this?" he demanded.
"What? Who are you?" Devon asked, stunned.
"It's me, Nate!" they stared up at the genius, unsure if they were really seeing what was in front of them.
"Nate?!" the four chorused in shock.
"And this is-"
"Not the best time for intros," Nate was interrupted by the robotic Silver Ranger. "Come on!" he called, running in again.
"I'll explain later," Nate promised, before running to join the fight.
"Did we all hit our heads and experience a mass-hallucination?" Ryne wondered as she sat up, still not sure if she wasn't imagining things.
Blaze let out a string of curses as they returned to the Cyber Dimension, cutting through an unfortunate Tronic in his way.
"Those Rangers will pay!" he snarled, storming over to where Scrozzle was already back to work. "Scrozzle, send down a Gigadrone to crush them before Master Evox destroys us all!" Blaze shouted up at him. Scrozzle was quiet for a moment, before turning back to them.
"You three said that boy scientist was a total wimp," he scoffed. "And now I'm fixing your mess. Again!" Scrozzle exclaimed, pulling a lever to summon a new Gigadrone.
"This is just as much your mess as ours," Asher snapped at him, and Scrozzle angled his head to look at her.
"My part of the plan worked perfectly," he said simply.
"I doubt Master Evox will see it that way," Asher sniffed, glaring at him through her helmet. "After all, you were the one who said we needed him," she pointed out, and Scrozzle hissed, cursing her quietly. Evox was one thing, but the Avatars were a whole other level of annoying.
"Got it, Commander," Ravi responded to his mother's warning call as they watched Nate and his new companion fighting off Vacuudrone. "Nate, there's a Gigadrone in the city!" Ravi shouted over.
"You guys go. We can take care of this," Nate said confidently as they held the Robotron.
"Okay," the others nodded, running off to call on their Zords.
Before long, the four were in their Zords, ready for action and setting up their systems.
"What's your status, team?" Devon asked.
"In position," Ravi confirmed.
"In position," Ryne spoke next.
"In position," Zoey spoke as she set her systems up and grasped the long handles that made Jax's ears.
"All systems go!" they took off, heading out of the Zord hangar to find the Gigadrone reported. "I have the Gigadrone in sight. It's sucking Morph-X directly from the tower," Devon reported as he spotted the giant robot in town. "I'm gonna need backup," he requested as he attacked the Vaccudrone and distracted it from what it was doing.
"On my way!" Ryne confirmed as she raced towards the fight. She pushed it up into the air, and it collided with the Gigadrone, knocking it to the ground.
"Almost there, Devon!" Ravi shouted as he pushed his own Zord, which wasn't as fast as Devon's or Ryne's.
"Right above you!" Zoey called as she flew in as well.
"He's got the same weapon as that Robotron," Devon warned, before the Gigadrone used it to hit him. As he was forced to turn around, his Zord jerked as the weapon jabbed into his Morph-X tanks.
"We're losing power! It's sucking out our Morph-X fuel!" Cruise warned as their systems flickered dangerously.
"They're in trouble!" Scramble warned Ryne, who turned her Zord around and pushed it to ram into the Gigadrone. It gave a shout, and was knocked away from Devon, whose Zord stumbled away as the Gigadrone shouted.
"Thanks for the save," Devon breathed a sigh of relief. "I hope Nate is okay too," he murmured, hoping his fight below was going as well as their own.
"Let's take this freak out before he can get away with the Morph-X," Ryne called.
"Right!" Ravi used his Gorilla mode to bombard the Vacuudrone with banana peels. It sucked them all up, not realising, until its weapon was jammed, stopping it from doing anything else.
"His vacuum's blocked! Nice!" Devon cheered. "Beast-X Megazord, combine!" he shouted, and they formed their Megazord, ready to fight.
"Powering Beast-X Blade!" Zoey charged their weapon, ready for their final attack.
"Charging main weapons," Ravi called.
"Forcefield!" Ryne activated the forcefield that trapped the Vacuudrone, stopping it from escaping.
"Transport Cheetah Beast Blaster!" Devon called on the powerful blaster, and took aim. "Beast-X Hyper Strike!" he fired as they swung their sword down, finishing off the Gigadrone. "Virus Eliminated," he declared.
"Sounds like you all handled it well," Commander Shaw smiled proudly as she stood in front of the team that now consisted of six. It was unexpected, but not unwelcome, and she was relieved that Nate was not only unscathed, but one of the new Rangers. "I'll let the General know," she said, and turned to the robot beside Nate. "And it was nice to meet you, uh…" she hesitated when she realised she didn't know his name.
"Oh! He needs a name!" Nate exclaimed, excited.
"Yes! How about…'Mr Fantastic Super-Handsome Strong-As-Steel'?" he suggested, making them all laugh.
"Maybe just Steel for short," Nate suggested.
"I love it! You are smart," Steel told him cheerfully.
"Steel...yeah," Devon rapped his knuckles against Steel's head, hearing it clank. "Suits you perfectly," he laughed.
"How bad do you want to see how he works?" Lewis whispered to Ryne.
"So badly," she whispered back, having been fascinated with Steel from the moment they'd met him.
"So, we know you planned to become a Ranger, but...how did he Morph?" Devon asked, curious about how Steel had come into being.
"Yeah, how could a robot do that?" Zoey asked, just as curious.
"Well, it was easy for me, since I had insect DNA," Nate started, his smile widening. "I also thought about Steel Morphing, so I ran some tests," he said, and they noticed how excited he was.
"I'll let you tell them the good part," Steel whispered conspiratorially to Nate.
"Well-"
"You see," Steel cut him off. "The thing is...I'm human," his announcement stunned them all.
"Excuse me?" Ravi squinted at him, not sure he'd heard right.
"He's right...sort of," Nate spoke up to elaborate. "Turns out that Morph-X bonded his systems to scarab beetle DNA, and to my DNA," he explained. Ryne put a hand to her face, even more curious now
"Yes, making me the perfect Ranger," Steel nodded.
"You Rangers have always been like my family," Nate admitted as they laughed at Steel's declaration. "But now I finally have a real brother," he smiled, delighted by the turn of events as he put an arm around the robot.
"Well, you brothers did amazing today," Devon praised, making Nate smile as Steel chuckled.
"I think we owe you an apology," Ravi spoke up, and the others nodded. "We thought you couldn't handle yourself…"
"But we learned the same lesson that Blaze, Asher and Roxy did…" Zoey continued for the Blue Ranger.
"You don't mess with Nate," Ryne laughed, and Nate smiled at them.
"Welcome to the Ranger team. Both of you," Devon told them, putting his hands on their shoulders.
"So, you're a Ranger now," Nate looked up as Lewis spoke up, smirking. "I guess we'll have to up your training," Nate's smile faded a little, and a more nervous look came across his face.
"Oof, you're gonna have fun," Ryne winced sympathetically, while the others couldn't help but laugh.
All three Avatars were quiet, none of them in the mood to talk after their embarrassing defeat and failure. While Blaze examined his sword, Roxy walked aimlessly, messing with her hair, and Asher was sitting on the ground, leaning back against the brick wall as she replayed the poor attempt of a fight in her mind.
All three jumped when Scrozzle appeared in the centre of the wreckage, and they turned to him as Evox emerged from the computer he was trapped inside.
"Well?" he hissed dangerously. "Can it be fixed?" he asked.
"I believe so, Master Evox," Scrozzle confirmed with an eager nod.
"It had better be...or else," Evox warned, his voice quiet.
"We also need to get your robot body back," Scrozzle added, knowing that they couldn't make a new one, and still needed a body for Evox to upload into.
"That's not a problem," Blaze said confidently, ready to get revenge on the two who'd embarrassed them.
"See to it, immediately!" Evox ordered, and gave an angry hiss.
"Soon the Silver Ranger...will be yours," Roxy vowed, smiling dangerously. Asher stood beside her, just as determined. They would get the Silver Ranger, and bring Evox back, whether the Rangers liked it or not.
This was one of my favourite episodes, and writing it was fun too!
Hope you liked it!
Please review!
