This was one of my favourite chapters to write, as it took some pretty different turns to the original.
I hope you like it!
Chapter 13: Seeing Red
Lewis made a delighted sound as Ryne handed over his Wristcom, which looked as good as new.
"You did it! You're the best!" he declared, and Ryne groaned as he threw his arms around her and hugged her tightly. She shoved him off, fixing her black denim jacket.
"I told you to announce it to the others, not kill me in an over-dramatic display of affection," she told him, as Lewis laughed, returning his wristcom to his wrist. "Sorry it took so long. Did Commander Shaw catch on?" Ryne asked, and his laughter faded.
"Yeah...when you guys went off to fight that empowered Tubatron. She realised straight away," Lewis sighed, and Ryne winced sympathetically.
"That's rough," she said, sympathetic. Lewis just nodded, exhausted as he remembered the lecture from the stern, sharp-eyed woman. If it wasn't for the Tubatron's quick defeat and the subsequent Gigadrone attack, Lewis worried he would have been in the lecture for at least another hour. "I've reinforced it for you, but please be more careful with it," Ryne pleaded as Lewis tapped the wristcom.
"I will," he nodded earnestly, and Ryne smiled faintly. "So did Nate get a new assistant yet after the whole Megan fiasco?" he asked her as they sat in Riptide gym. The group were gathering for training at the gym, and so far Ryne, Lewis and Ravi had arrived, with the Blue Ranger over at the counter buying drinks.
"Not yet," Ryne shook her head, smiling faintly. "He's being more thorough with his process after what happened. Hopefully no more Megans," she said, thinking about the ambitious girl who had blackmailed Zoey, bullied Ryne, and tried to depose Nate as head of the lab.
"Fane went home too, didn't she?" Lewis remembered, deciding to change the subject and not think about the chaos that had taken place a few days prior. Ryne nodded, her faint smile turning sad.
"Yeah, she had some duties to attend to. The downsides to being the crown-Princess of Zandar," she murmured.
"Sounds like way too much responsibility for me," Ravi declared as he took a seat, handing over smoothies to the pair, who thanked him.
"Too much? I thought you thrived on that stuff," Ryne said, and he rolled his eyes at her.
"You're being a brat again. This is why we call you the baby," he told her, and Ryne stuck her tongue out.
"I still find that insulting," she said as Lewis laughed lightly, enjoying the banter between the pair. The two were still bickering when Zoey walked in, smiling as she spotted them.
"Hey guys," she greeted as she walked over to them, and paused when they stopped. "Who started it this time?" she asked, amused as she recognised the tell-tale signs of the two playfully arguing. They both pointed to each other, and Zoey looked at Lewis. He shook his head.
"Don't look at me, I'm a neutral party," he denied, just taking a long drink of his smoothie, and Zoey laughed, setting her bag down. While Ravi had relaxed around his team, becoming less rigid and adamant about following the rules, Ryne managed to drag him down to her level with childish behaviour.
"Devon, Nate and Steel haven't gotten here yet. May as well grab a drink before we start training," Ryne suggested, and Zoey nodded, headed to go buy a carrot juice. "I still think it's funny when Nate's late," the Pink Ranger said as she lifted her strawberry smoothie and took a gulp.
"It's all Steel. He's distracted by everything," Ravi chuckled, and the other two nodded, knowing that he was right. Steel wanted to know about everything, and would stop several times on his way anywhere.
The easy air faded as their wristcoms suddenly beeped, and Zoey hurried back over.
"Rangers, Tronics have been spotted in Palm Plaza, sector Bravo 6-8," Commander Shaw announced.
"We're on our way," Ryne answered, and Zoey looked wistfully over to the counter, having been looking forward to her drink, before they hurried out to find out what was going on.
The group met up with Steel and Nate along the way to Palm Plaza, Morphing and attacking the Tronics that were scattered around the area harassing anyone unfortunate enough to still be around.
"Where's Devon?" Zoey asked Ravi as they threw aside more of the Tronics.
"He was on his way to meet up. He can't be far," Ravi answered, before looking around as Devon appeared, skidding to a stop as he used his super speed to reach them.
"Sorry, who isn't far off?" Devon laughed, already wearing his Red Fury Armour.
"Devon!" Ryne shouted, but Devon didn't respond, running off into a larger group of Tronics to fight them off. Roxy sat nearby, content to just watch them fighting off the Tronics.
"Ah, so the Red Ranger decided to show up. And just in time for the dinner party," she smirked, pulling the key from the computer to jab it into a candle.
"Let's light 'em up!" a Robotron appeared, looking like a massive candle.
"Head's up guys!" Ryne shouted as she heard him. She threw out her Beast Spinners again, cutting through the Tronics around her.
"You can destroy Rangers in a moment. First, I have a little powering-up to do," Roxy held up a Fury Cell that shimmered in the light. "Now don't lose this," she made to hand it over to the Robotron, only for Devon to rush past her, snatching it from her. "No!" Roxy screamed.
"Yes!" Devon laughed, holding it in his hand.
"My Fury Cell!" Roxy snarled.
"Sorry, did you need this?" Devon laughed, before his armour started to change colour, fading to a dull reddish-brown. Throwing a Tronic aside, Ryne frowned as she watched him remove the old Fury Cell, which had run out of energy, and replaced it with the new one. Immediately the power filled Devon again, and he laughed. "Cheetah Claws!" he called on his new weapons as Ryne frowned, feeling the surge of dark energy again. Roxy fired two shots at Devon, who deflected them easily.
"Yeah!" The other Rangers ran over to stand with Devon as Roxy gave a furious growl.
"You don't stand a chance against all five of us," Zoey warned, pressing her fist to her open hand. Ryne raised her Beast Spinners, not speaking as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She'd been uneasy about the Fury Cells to begin with, but it seemed to be getting stronger. However, Devon suddenly ran forwards without them.
"Devon!" Nate shouted.
"What?" Zoey gasped, all of them taken aback as Devon went on the offensive alone.
"Actually, you don't stand a chance against me," he taunted. "Watch this," he rushed at Roxy and Burnertron, easily fighting them both off without any help. He then kicked Burnertron aside, and the Robotron landed in a heap.
"Now's our chance, Steel," Nate called, taking advantage of the weakened Robotron.
"Striker Sabre Charged," they chorused, only for Devon to race past as a red blur to the rest of them, cutting through Burnertron and kicking him away.
"What a showoff!" Steel scoffed.
"Something's wrong," Ryne warned the others, and they all agreed. Devon was acting strange, and even though he was easily fighting off the two by himself, it still felt off.
"That's enough. I'm calling a timeout," Roxy decided, and the two vanished in a flash.
"Hah! Chickens!" Devon laughed, demorphing and giving a howling cheer. "That was something, wasn't it?" he laughed, turning to his team.
"Yeah, something alright," Ravi scoffed, holding up a fan to cool himself off.
"Huh? What's wrong, guys?" Devon asked, not understanding why they all looked annoyed.
"To start with, you messed up our attack," Steel scoffed, and Nate nodded, both annoyed. If they hadn't been quick enough, they'd risked hitting Devon because he'd thrown himself in the way of their attack.
"Plus, you were kind of late," Zoey pointed out.
"Well, nothing bad happened," Devon shrugged, unapologetic. "Luckily when the Fury Cell burnt out, I just snagged a new one," he said, holding up the blackened Fury Cell. Nate took it, examining it in the light.
"Interesting. It seems that every time you use Fury Mode, it uses up part of the cell," he theorised. "You better be careful, Devon. Even that new one won't last forever," Nate warned him.
"Relax," Devon laughed lightly. "With this awesome power, Evox is on the ropes," Devon lifted his wrist to admire the Fury Cell on his wrist.
"Um...why don't you let us examine the Cell a bit more?" Ryne asked carefully, not liking how Devon was looking at it. Something about him put her on edge almost as much as the Fury Cell itself.
"Nah, it's okay," Devon said, lowering his arm. He pulled his hoody sleeve down over it, but his smile had faded, and there was something else there that made Ryne not push it. "Now, who's thirsty? Let's hit the Riptide. Lewis is waiting for us there, isn't he?" Devon asked.
"You guys go. I have some lab work to do," Nate said, uncertain. "Ryne, could you help?" he asked her. Ryne tilted her head, not sure what he had to do, but nodded all the same.
"Sure," she agreed, happy to be away from Devon.
"Okay. Let's go," Devon said to the others.
"There's something in your hair," Devon yelped as Nate suddenly grabbed at his hair.
"Ow! Hey, man!" Devon snapped at him, looking angry as Nate stepped back. He just offered an apologetic smile, and Devon huffed, turning and stalking away.
"There wasn't anything in his hair, was there?" Ryne guessed as she turned to Nate, who was holding several strands of Devon's hair.
"There's something weird about Devon, you've noticed it too, right?" he asked, and Ryne nodded, her expression grim. The Fury Cells were affecting him, and they needed to figure out how. "Come on, let's get back," he said, and the two hurried back to Grid Battleforce.
Roxy glared at the ground, not daring to speak or move as Blaze laughed and Asher clapped slowly.
"So let me get this straight," Blaze giggled. "Devon stole another Fury Cell, and then beat the stuffing out of you and your Robotron?" he summed up.
"Absolutely incredible," Asher smirked.
"Speak, Avatar," Evox hissed at Roxy, ignoring the pair.
"Yes, the Red Ranger beat me," Roxy sighed, rolling her eyes. "But his new powers have made him different," she added, and Evox drew back.
"How?" he demanded.
"He's reckless," Roxy smirked.
"Bah! You're just as reckless!" Scrozzle snapped, unimpressed. "Another of my Fury Cells wasted. But the truth is, the cells will slowly turn even a noble warrior evil," he explained, pacing in front of them.
"So...it could make that Red Ranger evil...forever?" Evox asked, a plan of his own coming to mind.
"We have one Fury Cell left," Roxy said, holding it in her hand.
"Then make sure that the Red brat uses it on himself again, immediately," Evox ordered, and Roxy gave a cry as Asher snatched it from her.
"It's my turn to have some fun," she smirked, admiring the Fury Cell. Roxy turned to her, ready to fight her.
"Very well," Roxy's mouth fell open and she whirled around as Evox agreed, but she fought back her protest, knowing that he wouldn't take kindly to her arguing with him.
"And have the Robotron get the last of the Beast Power data I need," Scrozzle held out the last Data Chip. "Cheetah Speed," he said, walking past them to attach it to Burnertron's back.
"Succeed, and all four Beast Powers are yours," Evox ordered, and Asher smirked.
"Of course, Master," she bowed, and winked to the two Avatars watching. With a laugh, she vanished, taking Burnertron with her, while Blaze glared silently.
Neither Nate nor Ryne spoke much as they walked through the entrance of the massive building, as despite his fascination and excitement over being there, Nate's worry won out, keeping him subdued as they made their way to the front desk.
"Excuse me?" Ryne greeted the older man at the front counter, who was working on the computer. He looked up for just a second, before doing a double-take.
"Ryne?" he realised, standing up and smiling as Ryne nodded, smiling faintly back at him. "I haven't seen you around here in quite a while. What brings you to SPD?" the guard, who had been around from before Ryne had even been born, asked with a warm smile.
"Is my dad around? Or Dr. Manx?" she asked as the man looked at Nate, a faint look of recognition on his face.
"They should both be here. You know the way," he said to Ryne. "But first...who's your friend?" he asked.
"Nate Silva, he works with me at Grid Battleforce," the man's eyes widened as he recognised Nate's name, and the Gold Ranger nodded with an embarrassed smile.
"Well, well. You sure have interesting friends. Go on up," the man handed them passes, and waved them through.
"I hope this is the right place to find answers," Nate murmured. He'd been unsure of where to even start in figuring out what the Fury Cell really was, let alone what it was doing to Devon, so Ryne had suggested going to SPD for help, and the Commander had agreed.
"Me too," Ryne replied quietly, leading him up through the building with the confidence of someone who knew exactly how to traverse the place. After all, she'd been visiting there almost all of her life.
"This place is incredible," Nate commented, and stopped when he heard a bark. Ryne smiled as RIC bounded into view, barking again before running over to them.
"RIC! Hey boy, I've missed you," Ryne patted the robotic dog's head, and his tail wagged.
"RIC? You mean, the robot that helped the SPD team?" Nate asked, crouching beside Ryne. "He's amazing!" he exclaimed, patting the dog on the head.
"Thanks," the two looked up at the amused voice. "Keeping him up to date has been tough, especially since you came around," the man standing in front of them said, his bright green eyes on Nate.
"You're-"
"Uncle Spencer, hey," Ryne straightened up and moved around RIC to hug her uncle.
"Hey kid," Spencer patted her on the head, smiling warmly at his niece. "Nate Silva. I've been wanting to meet you, especially since you became a Ranger," he held his hand out to Nate, who was staring at him in awe.
"R-right. It's nice to meet you, sir," he said, shaking his hand. Spencer laughed, fixing his glasses.
"Spencer is fine. None of that sir business. Only one in this family who could ever tolerate that is my grandfather," he said with an easy smile. "So, what brings you both here?" Spencer asked, looking from one to the other.
"We need help examining something we stole from Evox's creeps," Ryne told him. "We don't have the tech at Grid Battleforce, and Nate doesn't have the time to build something to figure it out, so I was hoping that dad or Kat could help," she explained.
"They're both in the lab," Spencer nodded, and Nate noticed how quickly he'd gone from a friendly uncle to someone in charge at SPD. "Come on. Oh, and be careful, I think they have your Uncle Kayden testing stuff again," he warned, making Ryne smile as Nate looked confused.
"I swear, you guys are rigging this every time," they heard the complaint as Spencer led them to the labs. "There's no way I've lost this many times in a row. Even Boom has had better luck than me," the doors slid open to reveal a man standing towards the back, looking unhappy as he strapped an armoured vest to his chest.
"Maybe if you spent less time complaining, you might figure out how to win at a game of cards," a woman with feline features smiled, entertained. Nate couldn't help but do a double-take as he saw her furry ears and whiskers. While aliens were a common thing on Earth now, they still usually kept to New Tech City.
"Or learn to cheat," Spencer suggested, and they turned to him. "I recall a time when you were testing a battilizer...and the dummy's head fell off," he considered, and Kayden pouted.
"Perhaps then we'll not have to listen to his whining," another spoke up, and Nate looked around, not having realised there was a third person in the room. Sitting at one of the computers with his feet up on the desk was another man, not looking up from the tablet in his hands.
"So heartless, even in front of your own kid," Kayden sniffed, and Heckyl frowned, looking up. Ryne was trying to hide her smile as he saw her, well used to the bullying that Kayden went through.
"Ryne? What are you doing here?" he asked, getting to his feet.
"Hey dad," she walked over, hugging him. "This is Nate, he's our Gold Ranger," she introduced Nate, who smiled shyly at the group.
"Nate Silva?" Kat asked, and he nodded. "Your work is impressive, I've been reading all about it. You put us to shame," she smiled at him, making Nate blush.
"I-I'm not that great, and I got a lot of inspiration from your work here," Nate insisted, embarrassed by the praise. Even though he'd been hailed as a prodigy and was well known for his inventions, Nate was flustered by being praised by people he'd admired for years.
"So what brings you both here?" Kayden asked as he eagerly removed the armour from his chest. Kat rolled her eyes at his excitement over escaping being a testing dummy.
"We were hoping you could help with something. We stole this thing called a Fury Cell from the Avatars," Nate explained.
"The digital copies of Asher and the others," Spencer interjected quietly to the others.
"At first we'd hoped to use it to power Devon's new armour that Nate made, but it's making him act...weird. He's reckless and trying to take everyone on by himself," Ryne spoke up. "He almost got hit because he jumped in between Nate and Steel and the Robotron," she shook her head, worried about their Red Ranger.
"We don't have anything at Grid Battleforce that can properly investigate it," Nate added in, annoyed at his lack of resources on the matter, but ideas to fix that were already rushing through his mind.
"Well then, we'll do what we can to help," Kat nodded.
"Let's take a look at this thing then," Heckyl said, and Nate pulled the box from his pocket, opening it to reveal the blackened Fury Cell. He then jumped when Heckyl was suddenly in front of him, grabbing the box from him.
"Dad?" Ryne was surprised at his sudden actions as he stared at the gemstone with a look she'd never seen on him before.
"Where did you get this?" his voice was quiet as he stared at it, having gone pale.
"What is it?" Kayden asked, setting the armour down and approaching, also wondering what was going on.
"We don't have to scan this thing, I know what it is," Heckyl said, his voice quiet.
"Wanna share with the class?" Spencer asked, folding his arms. "What's got you all ominous?" he asked, not liking the look on the other man's face.
"I'd know this feeling anywhere. Whatever this thing is...it's fueled by the Dark Energem," everyone in the room, including Nate and Ryne, jolted at his grim words.
"What? How is that possible?" Spencer asked, suddenly looking wary. "The Dark Energem was destroyed years ago. You helped destroy it," he pointed out.
"I do remember that, yes," Heckyl nodded, closing the case over. "But the fact remains, this...Fury Cell held a fraction of the power of the Dark Energem," he told them, holding the case tightly in his hand.
"Explains why you were so uncomfortable around it," Nate commented to Ryne, seeing her own pale face.
"But...Nate and Devon have both touched it. None of them changed like..." Ryne trailed off, looking unhappy.
"That's because it's different to the Dark Energem," Heckyl said, setting the case down on the table. "It wasn't called a Fury Cell before, but I remember stories of those from my planet who got hold of the Dark Energem. They wanted to try and use it as an energy source, and succeeded in filling conduits with a tiny portion of its power. It powered up whatever they wanted," he said, his eyes unfocused as he was lost in memories of his past that still hadn't entirely returned.
"All that negative energy, it was bound to cause some kind of kickback," Kat said as she took the case and opened it. She shivered.
"Just like the Dark Energem, it corrupts whoever uses its power," Heckyl answered her. "But it's a much slower process, which made it infinitely more dangerous," he said.
"How so?" Spencer asked.
"It altered them right down to their DNA. When I touched it, Snide was created. Same with Jeremy and Kerberos. But this...would almost be more like with Ryan," Heckyl considered.
"Devon's been using it for his new armour. It's already starting to change him," Nate said.
"Can we stop it from happening?" Ryne asked, scared for their leader and friend.
"It would take more than one Fury Cell to completely corrupt his DNA," Nate considered, his mind a whirlwind as he tried to think about it. While he'd no idea about the power of an Energem, he knew DNA. "But if we don't stop him from using the power before he uses more of the power...there's no fixing it," he shook his head, just as worried.
"How many do you have?" Kat asked as she held the empty Cell between her fingers, holding it up to the light to study it with her sharp cat-like eyes.
"Devon got another off Roxy today," Ryne remembered. "He used some of its power to chase her and the Robotron off," she said, and Nate nodded.
"When we got the first one from Blaze, he still had two. So...there's at least one more to worry about," he said. "We better get back and warn the others. And get the one Devon took today away from him," he said.
"Yeah," Ryne agreed, hoping that Devon could be convinced to relinquish the Fury Cell he had. She'd seen how he'd looked at it before.
"I'll come with you," Heckyl decided, putting a hand on Ryne's head as she looked up at him. "Something tells me you'll need someone with some expertise on this subject," he said, and she smiled faintly up at him.
"Yeah," she nodded.
"In the meantime, we can continue testing this upgrade for SWAT Mode," Kat turned to Kayden with a pleasant smile, and he groaned.
"Maybe I should have transferred to Grid Battleforce," the Water Ninja considered.
"Trust me, they won't take you," Heckyl called over his shoulder as he guided Ryne and Nate out of the lab. "Trust me, you don't want him," he then said to Nate, who couldn't help but smile as they heard Kayden's loud complaints even as the doors slid closed.
The rest of the Rangers returned to Grid Battleforce shortly after they did, having been called back from Riptide Gym. As they arrived, Ryne and Nate were shocked to see Lewis' black eye.
"What happened to you?" Ryne asked as he retrieved a cold pack from the medkit and pressed it to his swelling eye. Lewis looked over at Devon, not speaking, but his simmering anger spoke volumes.
"I was sparring against two guys and he thought he'd interrupt," Devon answered for Lewis, shrugging. Ravi and Zoey both looked worried, having watched as Lewis stepped in when Devon had been abusing his strength to overpower and batter two blackbelts who'd been training.
"We found out some information," Nate spoke up before Lewis could speak, but his expression had darkened even more. "To learn about the Fury Cells, we went to SPD to see if they could help," he explained, taking the others by surprise.
"Dad was the one who told us about them," Ryne walked over to where Heckyl was standing, his focus on the gemstone still around Devon's wrist.
"You're-"
"This is a simulation based on Devon's DNA," Nate said as Ravi did a double-take, staring at the man. "I uh...took a hair sample earlier today," he admitted, and Devon immediately glared at him.
"You took my hair?" he demanded, his voice raised as Nate flinched back.
"You've been acting a little strange," he defended himself.
"It's the Fury Cell, isn't it?" Zoey guessed. "That's why you went to SPD," he realised, and Nate nodded.
"They're affecting your brain functions," Commander Shaw spoke up, gaining Devon's attention before he could explode at Nate.
"The negative energy from the Fury Cells works slowly, stripping away your humane response and replacing them with darker instincts," Heckyl spoke up, having been looking over Nate's findings. "In simpler terms, it's turning you evil," he said, and Devon scoffed.
"Impossible!" he refused to accept it, shaking his head. "I feel great! I've been helping people!" he insisted, glaring at the man.
"Like this police officer?" Commander Shaw's question was simple, but it made Devon hesitate as she turned her tablet around to show a news report, which showed Devon Morphed and holding a car up, with a bank robber leaning out.
"Well, uh…" Devon stammered. "Okay, so I might be a little bit more aggressive, maybe. But I'm not hurting anyone! Except Robotrons," he amended, growing more and more defensive by the moment.
"It'll strip away everything that makes you, you. There'll be no coming back from it," Heckyl warned him, which made Devon's eyes narrow dangerously.
"Devon, if you don't stop using the Fury Cells, this will become permanent. You need to take it off," Ryne pleaded.
"No way!" Devon immediately jerked back, his expression dangerous as he looked ready to fight. Everyone in the room immediately went on guard. They were all quiet for a moment, unsure of how to react. "This Fury Cell is our best chance to defeat Evox for good," he growled at them.
"You can't do this on your own!" Zoey pleaded.
"You don't even have a plan!" Ravi pointed out.
"You're hurting the team," Commander Shaw spoke up as well, but the authority in her voice only seemed to anger Devon more.
"Oh, really?" he scoffed. "Well then maybe I don't need a team," he snarled.
"What?" they were all taken aback by Devon's declaration. He turned and walked towards the doors, and as they slid open slowly, he turned around.
"If you won't help me, then I'll do it without you. Just watch!" he yelled, before storming off.
"Devon!" Ryne started to follow him, but Heckyl stopped her quickly, catching her arm.
"Trying to stop him will only make him angrier, and if you're not careful he will turn on you," he warned gently, seeing the tears in her eyes. "There's still time to help him," he soothed her, putting a hand on her head in an attempt to calm her down.
"There isn't much power in the Fury Cell left," Nate pointed out. "It won't be enough to turn him evil forever," he said, having discussed it with Heckyl when studying Devon's DNA.
"Let's hope it wears off fast," Lewis muttered, keeping the cold pack to his eye as it throbbed. Commander Shaw's wristcom beeped suddenly, adding to the tension in the room.
'Tronics in Sector Tango 5-1," one of the women in charge of monitoring threats reported.
"Move out," Commander Shaw told the team, who nodded.
"Be careful," Heckyl told Ryne, who smiled faintly.
"Did you say the same to mum?" she teased, and he smirked back.
"Every time," he replied, and Ryne shook her head before following her team out.
People had been relaxing in the mid-afternoon sun when the Tronics had appeared, attacking them without warning. Screaming as they fled, the people paid no heed to the group running in the opposite direction to them.
"It's Morphin' Time!" Ryne shouted as the people cleared out. Transporting their Morphers in, they raised their keys.
"ACTIVATE BEAST POWER, HA!" The Tronics turned their attention to the Rangers as they Morphed, attacking them relentlessly while Asher watched from behind the bushes with Burnertron.
"Where's the Red one?" Burnertron asked as Asher watched the Rangers fighting. Ryne flipped through the air, landing in between the Tronics and dipping low to swing her arms up and strike them. The Tronics fell backwards, vanishing as she kept going, working with the other four to clear them out.
"Give it time. Rangers can't resist a good monster attack," Asher purred. "Especially one so eager for a fight," she smirked.
"Beast Blast!" the Rangers chorused, firing their blasters and destroying the last of the Tronics. When the smoke cleared, they spotted Burnertron and Asher standing in their place.
"What? No Red Ranger?" Asher chuckled as she took a few steps towards them. The five went on the defensive, aiming their weapons at the two. "Too bad. I seem to recall that it took a Fury Cell to beat a Fury Cell," she held up the glowing red gem in her hand.
"Oh no. You were right, Ryne," Nate gulped.
"Stop blabbering and power me up!" Burnertron demanded, eager for the power boost that would render him a much greater threat against the Rangers.
"We need to stop them and destroy that Cell," Ryne told the others, but as they started forwards, Asher lifted her blaster and fired a shot that exploded in front of the team, and they were thrown to the ground from the force of the blast.
"Now, should I power up this Robotron with the Fury Cell?" Asher wondered aloud, keeping her voice louder than usual. "After all, it's the last one. How will you beat him without another?" she laughed, holding the Fury Cell out towards Burnertron.
"Not so fast!" she stopped, her smirk widening victoriously, as she heard Devon's shout. "That Cell is mine," Devon growled, standing nearby already Morphed and wearing his enhanced armour.
"Devon, no!" Ravi yelled as he tried to get up.
"Devon, yes," Asher whispered under her breath. Devon suddenly ran in, spinning in circles around Asher and Burnertron as his superspeed kicked in, kicking up dust from the destroyed Tronics. Both were then thrown to the ground, and Devon stopped in front of his team. The last Fury Cell landed with a clinking sound on the ground between the two parties.
"Like I said, I can do this without you," Devon said, facing his team.
"You're making a mistake!" Steel pleaded.
"Just listen!" Zoey shouted up at him.
"I'm done with talking," Devon declared, but as he walked over to lift it, he noticed a flash of Pink, and Ryne was suddenly standing in front of him, holding the Fury Cell in her hand. She flinched as she touched it, feeling the dark power. The knowledge of its origins made it even more terrifying to the girl, who'd spent years afraid that she had the same power inside her deep down. "Ryne, give me that Fury Cell," Devon snarled at her.
"No. Devon, you don't understand because of the dark energy that's messing with your mind. It's making you want this power, but if you use it, you'll change for good," Ryne told him, standing her ground as Devon tensed. "You're our friend, and we're doing this to help you. Rangers don't fight alone, and whether you like it or not, you're part of our team," she told him firmly.
"Give it to me!" Devon snapped, lashing out at her. However, Ryne was faster, moving out of his grasp and scrambling away from him as Asher scowled.
"Meddling little brat," she hissed, retreating to watch in hopes that Devon would rid her of the Pink Ranger.
"Wait, no!" Nate shouted, but before the others could follow, Burnertron blocked their path.
"Get back here!" Devon shouted as he ran after Ryne, using his superspeed to block her path. She gasped, and he kicked her backwards. Ryne planted her feet, skidding backwards.
"You see what this thing is doing to you? It's making you attack your friends!" she pointed out, trying to get Devon to see sense.
"No, you're making me attack you! Hand it over!" Devon shouted, running at her again. Ryne dodged his attacks easily, letting her Beast Power kick in to heighten her reflexes.
"Devon, please," Ryne pleaded, already starting to feel her focus wavering. She was suddenly aware of everything around her.
"Give up Ryne," Devon growled, continuing to throw punches. "You can't dodge me forever, not with your limited focus," he said, and Ryne was forced to let the power fade before she lost control. Immediately Devon punched her, and landed a kick that threw her back. Ryne cried out in pain as she hit a pole and dropped to the ground. Her suit vanished in a flash, and she groaned as she looked up. "I told you," he said, standing over her.
"Take the Cell already, idiot. Stop playing with her," Asher hissed from her hiding place, watching them.
"Transport Cheetah Claws!" Devon summoned one of his weapons, pointing the wickedly sharp claws at Ryne. "Hand it over, Ryne," he warned as he walked towards her. Stubborn, Ryne held onto the Fury Cell tightly despite the pain through her body, and her own reaction to the Fury Cell.
"Devon no!"
"Ryne!"
"Stop!" the other Rangers shouted, trying to get through to Devon as Burnertron continued to block their path. Ryne managed to get back to her feet, staggering as her entire body protested, covered in injuries from Devon's assault.
"I won't let you do this to yourself, Devon," she refused, taking a step back as he closed in on her. However, Devon just grabbed her wrist, and Ryne whimpered in pain as his tight grip forced her to open her hand, and he snatched the Fury Cell from her grasp.
"Hah! The Fury Cell is mine!" he laughed, throwing Ryne backwards. However, as he held up the Fury Cell, the shining colour of his armour started to fade. "Huh? No!" Devon yelled as the armour vanished, realising that he'd used up the last of the power of the Fury Cell fighting Ryne. "My Fury Mode," he gasped, before raising his arm to replace the dead Cell with the new one.
"Devon!" Ryne screamed his name, her voice echoing.
"Wait," he hesitated as her voice seemed to reach him. "What am I doing?" he looked up as Ryne fell to her knees, exhausted. "This energy...I…" Devon stared down at the Cell in his hand.
"How do we keep losing to these idiots?" Asher snarled under her breath, watching impatiently.
"I was wrong. I am hurting people...I'm hurting my friends," Devon realised, horror filling him. With a growl, he closed his fist, squeezing it tightly. He winced as heat exploded from it, burning him through his suit. "These Fury Cells are evil," he declared, and Ryne stared up at him.
"You dumbass!" they looked around at Asher's furious scream. "Do you have any idea what you've done?" she raised her blaster at them, before Ryne raised a hand and blasted her backwards. Asher cried out, crashing backwards against the wall. Her form flickered dangerously.
"I think he does," Ryne managed to grin victoriously from the ground.
"Trust me, you'll both regret this," Asher vowed, vanishing in a flash of pink.
"Ryne!" Devon hurried over to Ryne, helping her up. "I've got you. I'm sorry," he apologised as the other Rangers ran over. "That Fury energy made me...well, I wasn't myself," he told her, and Ryne smiled.
"I know," she nodded. "I'm just glad you were able to see it too," she said, and Devon hugged her as the others smiled with relief, glad that Devon had snapped out of it.
An evil laugh made them look around quickly, seeing that Burnertron had recovered and was walking over to them.
"No more power-up, huh? Then I don't need a Fury Cell to take you out!" he declared.
"Think again!" Zoey shouted as she, Ravi and Steel ran to continue fighting him. Devon helped Ryne back to her feet, and she winced, starting to glow to heal her injuries.
"I'll take Ryne back to base," Devon told Nate as he supported the Pink Ranger, and Nate nodded.
"Okay, we'll handle this," he agreed, turning to join the others as Devon helped Ryne away from the battle.
Ryne groaned as she was gently lowered into a seat.
"I'm so sorry, I was out of control," Devon apologised for what felt like the hundredth time.
"I'm fine," Ryne insisted, and gave an irritated huff as Heckyl made her lift her head so he could examine her. "I said I'm fine," she tried to push him away, but was too tired after draining her powers trying to stop Devon, and having to heal herself.
"I can't believe I have to say this, but you're way too much like your mother sometimes," Heckyl told her, sounding more resigned than annoyed about the fact.
"She says I'm too much like you most of the time," Ryne grumbled, still trying to push him away. She looked at Devon when his wristcom beeped loudly.
'Gigadrone detected,' they were warned.
"I'm on it," Devon responded. "Come on, Cruise," he called to his Beast Bot, and they hurried back out.
"Ryne, are you sure you're okay?" Scramble wheeled up to the Pink Ranger, concerned for her partner. Ryne sighed, but managed a small smile for her Beast Bot.
"I'm sure. I'm just tired," she soothed.
"I assure you, she's not normally this reckless," Scramble told Heckyl, who fought his amused look as Ryne went red.
"Hey," she scowled, embarrassed. "I'm not reckless," she denied.
"What we saw really begs to differ," Lewis spoke up, opening a new cold pack to press against his eye. "Besides, didn't you end up a Ranger because of reckless actions?" he added innocently as Ryne turned a glare on him.
"Now you see what we put up with when Jeremy was on the team," Heckyl muttered, which made Lewis' smile widen.
Scrozzle gave a frustrated yell, watching as yet another Gigadrone, as well as the Gigatronics he'd been designing, were destroyed by Devon, Nate and Steel.
"How dare those Rangers destroy another of my beautiful Gigadrones," he cried to himself. "They'll get what's coming," Scrozzle vowed, before jumping, screeching, as Asher appeared in a whirl of pink lights.
"Here's your order," she held out the final Data Chip, which flashed red with data on Devon's superspeed.
"The last of the Fury Cells was destroyed, and this is all you have to show for it?" Scrozzle snapped at her. "There are no more Fury Cells left in the universe! Not since their power source was destroyed!" he shouted at her, and Asher rolled her eyes.
"Those Fury Cells clearly weren't as impressive as you claimed then, if the Red Ranger could break out of its hold so easily," she dismissed, and Scrozzle gave a loud huff, annoyed by her flippant attitude.
"Still, this is the last piece we've been waiting for. Cheetah, Gorilla, Squirrel and Jackrabbit," Scrozzle lifted the other Data Chips as well, which each flashed a colour that represented the Ranger it had copied.
"Those Beast Powers will be mine," Asher vowed.
"Really?" Blaze scoffed, and Asher glanced around to see him and Roxy walking towards them.
"Yeah right," Roxy flipped her hair over her shoulder.
"The Rangers are still standing, and Devon's as much of a goody two shoes as ever," Blaze pointed out, standing in front of Asher as she raised an eyebrow at him, staring him down. "You failed," he breathed. Asher scoffed.
"And you think Master Evox will give the powers to either of you?" she laughed, entertained at the idea. "I got two of these Data Chips myself, and how many did you get, Roxy?" Asher asked her, barely even looking at the other Avatar, who glared at her. "And just who was it that let the Rangers get hold of the Fury Cells to begin with?" she asked Blaze, her smile smug and arrogant. His eyes darkened with anger.
"You lost a Fury Cell too, remember," he hissed.
"Hey!" Scrozzle finally had enough, whirling around. "Go bicker somewhere else. I need to concentrate!" he shooed them away, and they rolled their eyes. "But I assure you that whoever gets it, the results will be devastating!" he cackled eagerly.
"Are you sure that you're okay?" Ryne gave a frustrated groan as her team continued to fuss over her.
"I'm fine, stop fussing," she pleaded with them, embarrassed by their attention. They all exchanged grins, partly only doing it to annoy her.
"We'll stop fussing if you promise not to be as crazy as you were today," Zoey told her, and they heard a quiet scoff nearby.
"She'll never keep that promise," Heckyl told them, not looking up from studying Devon's DNA, having been examining the Red Ranger to check the after-effects of using the power of two Fury Cells. It reminded the team of Ryne, who could barely be dragged away from whatever she was working on.
"I'm not as bad as either you or mum, you know," Ryne told him, not missing his smirk.
"Guys, I owe all of you an apology," Devon spoke up from where he sat, letting them run as many tests as necessary. "I treated you all really badly. Especially you, Ryne," he looked at the Pink Ranger. "It could have been a disaster if you didn't stand up to me," he said, trying not to think about what would have happened. "I don't know how I can make it up to you," Devon sighed.
"Don't sweat it dude," Ryne shook her head. "We're all okay, and the last of those Fury Cells are gone," she said, shrugging.
"They never hold a grudge…" Heckyl muttered, shaking his head in exasperation.
"Besides, none of us would ever give up on you," Ravi told Devon, and the others nodded.
"We're a team, always," Nate agreed, making Devon smile.
"And that's what's important," Steel added in.
"Perfect," they all looked up at Lewis as he approached. The swelling around his eye had gone down, leaving it a dark purple colour. "And as a team, I think it's time you make up for the training session missed yesterday," he smiled at the group, who groaned.
"They're an...unconventional team," Commander Shaw commented to Heckyl as they watched the group leave, looking reluctant as Lewis looked cheerful - never a good sign. "But they do great work," she told him, and he nodded.
"I have no doubt," he murmured, but was already planning on having a long conversation with Teddie about not having signed up for dealing with a second reckless person.
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