Chapter 24: Cruisin' for a Bruisin'

"And that's all six targets ready," Jax called over as he and Scramble finished examining the last of the targets.

"Great work. Thanks guys," Lewis looked up from his tablet to see that the targets were up and running, moving in slow patterns. With the training room finally finished after Ravi had accidentally destroyed it with Nate's prototype blaster, Lewis was setting up for harder training sessions. "Everyone to your stations," he called to the six Ranger, who had been talking amongst themselves as they waited. Each had already worked up a sweat, but showed no signs of tiring.

"Alright! Let's get this party started!" Steel cheered as he lifted the small blaster that also served as his Morpher. The Beast Bots all stood to the side with Lewis, watching their partners get ready.

"Get ready for round one," Lewis told the team.

"How about we make training interesting?" Devon asked, turning a grin to the others. "Whoever gets the lowest score, buys the rest of us smoothies. What do you say?" he suggested.

"I say that you better get your wallet ready, Daniels," Ryne lifted her blaster, checking it over to make sure that it was in working order. Devon laughed lightly.

"I don't have my wallet…" Nate muttered.

"I won't be needing it," Ravi said confidently.

"Hey, this is target practice. It's not a competition," Zoey rolled her eyes. "But I'll beat you all," she then smirked.

"Wait, I can't even drink a smoothie!" Steel complained loudly.

"Whatever gets you all motivated," Lewis shook his head, already exasperated. "Ready, set…" the Rangers all grabbed their blasters, taking aim at the moving targets. "Fire!" at his shout, all six fired, hitting their targets. Each pinged loudly, and the results showed up on Lewis' tablet. "Not bad," he hummed.

"No smoothies so far," Ravi shrugged, still looking confident.

"It was too easy. Those patterns are predictable," Ryne complained, lowering her blaster. She turned to Lewis, looking expectant. He laughed, having expected that reaction.

"Don't worry. I'd say you'll find Round 2 more to your liking," he told them. He activated the second setting, and the targets began to move at a more erratic speed, starting and stopping with no warning.

"Wow," Nate gulped.

"More of a challenge," Devon said, keeping his confident tone even as he watched the target.

"Ready, set…fire!" Lewis shouted. Immediately he had to bite his lip to hide his laughter, watching as five sets of shots rang out, each repeatedly missing their targets. After a moment, they lowered their weapons, looking frustrated.

"It's moving too fast!" Ravi complained, the first to drop his blaster.

"Urgh!" Zoey gave up too. "I'll say," she agreed with the Blue Ranger.

"That's a tough one…" Nate admitted, but felt a little reassured that he wasn't the only one struggling to hit his target.

"Not tough; that shot is impossible!" Steel declared, just as frustrated. A moment later, a shot was fired, hitting the centre target with a loud pinging noise. Everyone turned to Ryne, who lowered her weapon and tilted her head.

"What? It had a pattern!" she defended, blushing at the stunned looks they gave her.

"You're ridiculous," Ravi told her, and Ryne stuck out her tongue in response.

"She's right," Lewis laughed. "Like the Tronics, it's a program, so as erratic as it seems, there is a pattern to it," he explained.

"Okay, but could anyone with a normal mind have got that?" Devon asked. Ryne rolled her eyes at him.

"Cruise was my original test subject," Lewis said simply, turning to the red Beast Bot. "You wanna show them?" he asked. The forgetful Beast Bot shrugged, and walked over to take Devon's blaster.

"Alright then," he took aim, and fired, hitting all five remaining targets in succession. Their eyes went wide.

"Whoa," Ryne breathed, jaw hanging open.

"What a shot - uh, five shots!" Devon exclaimed as Cruise set the blaster back down.

"See? It's not impossible," he shrugged, and Devon laughed, high-fiving his partner.

"Have you been practising?" Zoey asked as they all walked over to Cruise. Lewis rolled his eyes, not remotely surprised that they were already distracted from training.

"No, no, it was nothing. Really," Cruise insisted with a shake of his head.

"Nothing? We could use that kind of shooting on our team," Ravi told him, just as impressed.

"Yeah, that was incredible," Ryne agreed with a nod.

"More firepower isn't a bad idea…" Devon murmured, looking thoughtful. His eyes then lit up. "Cruise can help us out against real Robotrons and Tronics!" he suggested, excited even as the rest of the team suddenly looked dubious.

"Hold on, that isn't what I meant," Ravi tried to calm Devon down.

"I'm not so sure about that," Zoey admitted.

"Me either," Nate shook his head. "Beast Bots weren't really built for ground fights," he pointed out, knowing his creations well.

"Doesn't mean they can't do it," Devon shrugged. Ryne groaned, seeing it in his expression. This was one of Devon's ideas that he refused to listen to reason on. "How about it, Cruise?" he asked the Beast Bot in question.

"Oh, well…" Cruise sounded just as hesitant, but seeing Devon's expression, he nodded. "Sure. Anything to help you Devon, and the Rangers," he agreed.

"I'm not sure," Ryne spoke up, shuffling. "Nate's the one who built them, he's the one who'd know best about their capabilities," she pointed out. Devon huffed.

"Come on!" he rolled his eyes. "You saw how precise he is," he pointed out. Nate sighed, giving in.

"Fine. I'll make him some blasters," he relented, and Devon grinned.

"One thing," they looked up at Lewis as he stood beside them with his arms folded. All of them had the decency to look sheepish at being distracted once more. "If he's gonna be in the field, he'll have to join in on combat training like the rest of you," he pointed out, giving Devon a pointed look.

"Yes!" Devon only cheered, excited at the idea. "This is gonna be unreal," he turned to Cruise and bumped fists with him. Cruise laughed.

"I can't wait, Devon," he said, just as excited as his partner. As the two walked away to get ready for more training, the rest of the Rangers exchanged concerned looks.

"Come on. Training first, then you can adjust to uh…a new member of the team," Lewis patted Ravi on the shoulder, sounding far too cheerful for them.


"How are they looking?" Nate asked as Ryne worked on wiring for the massive devices that Nate had come up with in a matter of hours. Ryne had a feeling he'd come up with them during their training - it would certainly explain just why he had lost every sparring match he'd had.

"Almost done," she answered, pulling her headphones down so that she could address him properly. Nate could hear Betty's voice coming through the headphones, reading out a section of the handbook, and smiled faintly. Of course the boisterous girl had volunteered to do the audio version. "I did take the liberty of changing a couple of wiring patterns, though," Ryne admitted, gesturing to what was in front of her. Raising an eyebrow, Nate leaned a little closer, fixing his glasses as he took a look.

"Wow, I can't believe I didn't think of that," he was impressed by the work in front of him. Sometimes he forgot that Ryne was talented in her own right when it came to building machines.

"That's why you need an assistant," Ryne grinned at him. "To help you with this stuff," she teased, making him laugh.

"Too bad you're a Ranger. You'd be the perfect assistant," he told her, and Ryne laughed as well.

"Too bad for you," she said, before the doors slid open and Zoey walked in.

"Hey guys," she smiled, but as she looked from Ryne to Nate, her smile faltered a little. "How are the blasters coming along?" she asked, trying to keep that same bright tone.

"We're almost finished with them," Nate smiled at her.

"Nate was just lamenting the missed opportunity of having me as his assistant," Ryne shrugged casually, and he nudged her with another laugh.

"Don't rub it in. I don't like arrogance in my assistants," he told her, and Ryne's smile grew wider.

"Good thing I'm not your assistant then," she retorted, neither noticing Zoey looking a little awkward at their interactions. Ryne then turned back to the blasters in front of her. "I should only be a few more minutes here," she said, lifting her tools.

"I'll make sure their programming is good to go," Nate went back to his tablet.

"Anything I can do?" Zoey asked eagerly, putting her hands together. Nate smiled, shaking his head.

"It's all under control, thanks Zoey," he told her, not seeing her deflate even more. Ryne had already put her headphones back on, back to work adding the finishing touches to the wiring.

"Okay, what happened in training today? Lewis is complaining again," Nate and Zoey looked up as Asher walked in, a hand on her hip as she looked amused. "You know he always comes whining to me when you don't pay attention to him," she pointed out.

"It wasn't our fault this time," Nate defended, smiling faintly. "Devon saw how good a shot Cruise is, and wants him out in the field," he explained. Asher's dark eyebrow rose in response.

"I see," she hummed, unsure of how she felt about such a concept. "I take it you already explained they weren't programmed for combat?" Asher asked, and Nate nodded, giving a shrug so heavy that it made the corner of her mouth tug up. "Well, at least you designed them with defensive measures just in case," she pointed out, and Nate nodded.

"Yeah, at least - wait," his eyes lit up. "Ashe, has Lewis convinced you to join as his assistant for combat training?" he turned to the young woman, having heard that Lewis was attempting to get Asher to join him, since she had yet to find a position in Grid Battleforce that suited her outside of the Ranger program.

"Not yet. I'm still debating if I want to follow the orders of someone I've known since they were born," Asher shot Zoey a grin, winning a brighter smile from the Yellow Ranger, who was quietly waiting and looking around, trying to learn what she could.

"Well, I'm still looking for a new assistant-"

"After the Megan fiasco? I heard," Asher snorted, and Nate went red, trying very hard not to look at Zoey now.

"Y-yeah," he nodded. "You helped a lot when I was designing the Beast Bots initially, would you want to work in here?" Nate offered, and Asher's eyes widened.

"What, really?" she asked, not having even considered working in the lab. Nate nodded eagerly, just as excited with this idea as he was with all his other ideas. Asher glanced at Ryne, who seemed once again oblivious to her surroundings, and she bit her lip. The two hadn't spoken much since Ryne had broken up with Blaze - she'd only found out because Blaze had mentioned it in passing. Relieved that they were no longer dating, Asher now felt guilty and awkward around her cousin.

Realising she hadn't answered, Asher cleared her throat and smiled at Nate again. "I'll think about it. But you'll need to contend with Lewis if I agree," she pointed out. The Gold Ranger paled.

"That would mean harder training…" he muttered, before swallowing and squaring his shoulders in an attempt to look unaffected. "I-it's not a problem," Nate said, but his uncertain voice didn't convince them. "I better finish this," he waved his tablet, and started working on it.

"You should go for it," Asher turned to Zoey, a little surprised. "Both Ryne and Nate told us how smart you are. You'd do great in here," the Yellow Ranger said, and Asher tilted her head as she surveyed the other young woman with her sharp green eyes.

"I'm surprised that you don't want the job. You spend more time in here helping Nate than even Ryne does," she commented, and saw Zoey's face turn red. The blonde laughed nervously.

"Oh, you know. I'm a Ranger, so I'm automatically disqualified. Same as Ryne," she glanced over at the Pink Ranger. Asher followed her gaze, one delicate eyebrow lifting.

"I guess you're right. But I know for a fact that Ryne has no interest in being Nate's assistant. She just likes building things," she said, not missing the way that Zoey relaxed.

"Ri-right," she nodded. Asher didn't reply, but watched the Yellow Ranger for a moment longer. She then turned away, folding her arms to watch the two working. Zoey let out a sigh, doing the same.


They weren't waiting around for too long, as Ryne finished up what she was doing, and Nate added the final touches. The rest of the team joined when they were called, and Nate lifted the two hefty blasters he'd designed.

"So, these should do it," he brought them over to the Beast Bot. Asher didn't miss that of the Rangers, only Devon looked excited. The rest looked apprehensive, but kept quiet. Asher shook her head. "Here you go, Cruise. These Wheel Blasters were built to interface with your Beast Bot technology," Nate explained as Cruise lifted his hands, letting Cruise slip them on.

"Wow! These are the nicest wheels I've ever had!" he exclaimed happily, admiring his new weapons.

"If anyone fires back, you can use them for cover too," Nate added, explaining the reason for their bulkier design.

"Nice job, Nate," Devon praised with a grin.

"Yeah, thanks!" Cruise nodded eagerly. Their excitement was short-lived, however, as an alarm blared loudly and made them all jump.

'Rangers, I know you're busy, but there's been a disturbance downtown,' Commander Shaw's voice came through the communication link on Nate's main computer. 'Downtown, in sector Delta 7-8. Go check it out,' she instructed.

"We're on our way," Devon answered. "It's time for action, Cruise," he turned to his Beast Bot, bumping his fist against one of the blasters.

"Yeah! I'm ready to fight with the team!" Cruise cheered, neither seeming to notice the rest of the team looking uncertain.

"Devon, hold up," Nate stopped Devon while the rest hurried out. "Those Wheel Blasters are good, but Cruise needs combat training," he pointed out.

"Maybe, but he's already a great shot," Devon frowned at Nate, not seeing his point.

"Agreed," Nate nodded, trying to approach the subject from a neutral stance. "But he doesn't have what the Rangers have - human instincts and intellect," Nate pointed out.

"Look," Devon sighed, resting his hands on his hips. "I promise I'll take care of him out there. I believe in Cruise," he said, confident in his partner despite Nate's warning. "He'll be alright," Devon insisted as Asher watched from the sidelines, her arms folded. Without waiting, Devon left, and Nate glanced at Asher, showing that he was not convinced, before he hurried out too.


People ran screaming in town, tripping over themselves in their hurry to get away from the Robotron that was approaching them.

"Hey, where are you going?" Digitron called wandering after them. "What's the matter? All I want is your technology!" he turned as a woman screamed, pulled away by a man. However, he didn't pay them any heed. Instead, his attention went to the laptop they'd left behind. "Aha! Thank you!" he held out an arm, and the laptop vanished in green lights, turned into data and absorbed by the Robotron. "Yes! I can feel the power!" he cheered.

"There it is!" Ryne was the first to spot the Robotron, who'd just chased off a man who'd stumbled across him on his segway and abandoned it in his fear. Keeping out of sight, the Rangers watched as Digitron turned the segway into data and absorbed it. "Good tech makes me stronger!" he laughed.

"He's scarfing down tech like it's his lunch," Zoey gulped.

"Well, he's not getting dessert," Devon growled. "Hey you!" he shouted, leaving their hiding place to run towards the Robotron.

"Did someone say 'dessert'?" Digitron turned as the rest ran after Devon.

"It's Morphin' Time!" Devon shouted. They grabbed their keys, calling on their Morphers as Cruise stood with them.

"ACTIVATE BEAST POWER!" the team Morphed, ready to fight, and Digitron scoffed.

"You can't outnumber me!" he declared as they stood ready to go. "Tronics!" he shouted, calling in the footsoldiers to appear in a haze of purple around him. Even more appeared to their left, diverting their attention.

"Whoa!" Nate gasped. "We'll take these ones," he indicated to his brother, who nodded. They ran off, leaving the other four Rangers and Cruise to focus on the Robotron and the rest of the Tronics.

"Attack!" as the Rangers ran forwards, Digitron barked out the order and laughed as the Tronics blocked the Rangers from attacking him.

"They always think that outnumbering us will get them the win," Ryne rolled her eyes and spun, kicking out and sending the Tronics around her tumbling back. They vanished in a flash of purple, only for more to surround her.

"Ryne!" Ravi shouted over to the Pink Ranger.

"I've got these guys handled!" she shouted over to him, seeing that he and Zoey had already cleared the Tronics who'd gone after them. "You guys go after the Robotron," he nodded, and the two ran off after Digitron.

Nearby, Ryne saw Cruise struggling with the Tronics that were attacking him, panicking and only able to react through Devon's shouts. "This is ridiculous," she muttered, letting energy crackle to life in her hands. The Tronics around Cruise jerked and vanished as they were hit with the energy that Ryne threw out.

"Oh!" Cruise gasped. "Thanks, Ryne!" he shouted over to her, and she nodded before jumping back to avoid the Tronics still coming after her.

"Enough of you," she kicked up hard, knocking one Tronic back, before she let out another small burst of energy, turning them to dust. When she had a moment to breathe, Ryne turned to Cruise, seeing him shooting down Tronics from a distance, more confident now that he wasn't being swarmed.

"That Robo-hotshot's gotta go," Digitron growled, also seeing this, and lifted his hand.

"Cruise, watch out!" Ryne shouted, but before Cruise could react, he was blasted in the back. He cried out as it threw him forwards, forcing him to drop his weapons. Before he could try and get them, Digitron kicked him away, not letting him near his weapons. Panicking again, Cruise kept trying to go for the weapons, but was continuously knocked aside.

"Devon!" Cruise cried out to his partner, who was still fighting off Tronics. "I need backup!" he shouted.

"I'm coming, Cruise!" Devon shoved the Tronics away, but the robots caught up before he could get to his Beast Bot. "Hold on!" the Red Ranger fought hard against the Tronics.

"I'm no use without my blasters!" Cruise whimpered.

"Wrong!" Digitron laughed. "Your precious tech is plenty of use - to me!" Cruise gave another cry when he was hit by the light from Digitron's weapon, turning him to data.

"Stop it, no!" Devon screamed as the Tronics held him back.

"Devon!" Cruise shrieked, reaching out to his partner. Ryne raised a hand to blast Digitron, but hesitated, scared of what would happen if it was interrupted by her attack.

"Cruise!" Devon managed to throw the Tronics off, but before he could reach Cruise, the Beast Bot vanished. "No! What did you do with my friend?!" he demanded furiously as the Robotron laughed.

"I've digitised him," Digitron laughed. "And now, his technology has powered me up!" he laughed, which only angered Devon more. He ran in using his superspeed, only for Digitron to block his sword easily.

"Keep up, Ranger," he taunted as he grabbed Devon's wrist. "I've got all the powers of your friend - and more!" before he could strike Devon, energy hit him from behind and forced Digitron to stagger forwards.

"Let him go!" Ryne shouted as Digitron turned to her, still holding Devon's wrist tightly.

"As you wish!" Digitron threw Devon, punching him hard, and the Red Ranger cried out as he was thrown into Ryne.

"Devon!" Zoey yelled as the two crashed to the ground. The Yellow Ranger leapt into the air to attack from above, only to be blasted out of the sky. She landed with a cry, winded.

"Zoey!" Ravi went to help, only to be blasted as well. "He's getting stronger," the Blue Ranger groaned.

"We can't give up now," Ryne groaned as she stood, pulling Devon to his feet.

"Guys, where's Cruise?" Nate called as he and Steel ran over after taking care of the last of the Tronics.

"That Robotron absorbed him," Devon explained, and Nate's eyes went wide.

"What?!" he gasped.

"We gotta capture him, find a way to get Cruise back," Devon didn't delay, turning back to the Robotron. "Cable Strike!" he threw out the strong cable to try and restrain Digitron, who just laughed.

"Bye-bye!" he vanished in a flash of purple, and the restraint disappeared.

"No! Cruise!" Devon cried out, falling to his knees. "Cruise…" he breathed.


Everyone was quiet after returning to Grid Battleforce, hit hard by the loss against Digtron.

"Oh…it's not the same without Cruise…" Smash sighed heavily. The Beast Bots had been affected by the news, devastated by the news that Cruise had been absorbed by the Robotron.

"Us Beast Bots are a quartet, not a trio…" Jax muttered, his ears drooped.

"It just feels wrong without him here," Scramble agreed, wheeling back and forth.

"He was fighting so well…then we lost sight of each other," Devon said quietly, trying to explain how it had happened. "One moment he was there, and then he was gone," he wasn't able to properly look at anyone. "And it's all my fault…" he muttered.

"I should have insisted on combat training," Nate tried to console the young man.

"You tried, and I just wouldn't listen," Devon shook his head.

"You can't blame yourself," Zoey told him as she walked forwards. Ryne's eyebrows rose at the Yellow Ranger's words, and she shook her head. "That Robotron was after tech - any tech," she pointed out.

"No, he can blame himself," Ryne spoke up, taking them all by surprise. "Yeah, Digitron was after any tech he could get his hands on, and if it hadn't been Cruise, it would have been Steel," she glanced at the Silver Ranger. "But you have this habit of coming up with ideas and not listening to us," Ryne wasn't able to keep her opinion to herself this time. "You're our leader, Devon. We trust your judgement, yes, but at the same time you should be willing to listen when we have concerns. But instead you ignore us, and we're left feeling like we either can't speak up, or there's no point in it," she said bluntly.

Devon was silent, staring at her in alarm as the others found themselves agreeing with her. Ryne ran a hand through her hair, taking a breath. "Cruise wasn't doing great out there. He was panicking every time he was surrounded, and he was acting on reflex to your shouts. It was only when he was able to attack from a distance that he was able to attack effectively," she spoke honestly. When Devon didn't speak, she sighed. "I'm not saying that you're not a good leader. You are, and your calls are usually dead on. But, one thing you have to remember. Everyone makes mistakes. Even you. It's a guarantee. We've all made mistakes," Ryne gestured to the others, who all nodded, save for Steel.

"Speak for yourself. I'm perfection," he said indignantly, which earned faint smiles from the other. Even Ryne couldn't help herself.

"Well, other than Steel, we've all made mistakes," she corrected herself, and Steel gave a nod. "But what is important, is what you do after making those mistakes," she explained, offering a small smile. Devon sighed.

"You're right. I'm sorry, I was out of order," he agreed. He walked over and put a hand on Ryne's shoulder, making her small smile grow. "Thanks Ryne. I know you'll always keep us on the right path. Even if it's not exactly what we wanna hear," he chuckled.

"Maybe she should be our leader," Ravi teased, and Ryne went red.

"No thank you," she denied quickly, and Devon rolled his eyes at the Blue Ranger.

"Well, what I'm gonna do now, is get Cruise back," he declared.

"We need to figure out how to do that," Ryne pointed out.

"And that Robotron's even stronger because Cruise's technology powered him up," Ravi pointed out. They hadn't stood a chance against Digitron. However, Devon's face lit up as an idea came to him.

"That's it! The answer's right in front of us!" he exclaimed, confusing the rest of the team. "It's Jax, Smash and Scramble!" he turned to the remaining three Beast Bots.

"Us?!" the three chorused, not liking the sound of that.

"If you think I'm letting Scramble out there, you've another thing coming," Ryne folded her arms and gave Devon a wary look.

"I'm the same. No way Jax is fighting," Zoey agreed with Ryne. She moved to stand between Devon and Jax protectively.

"Count Smash out too," Ravi agreed.

"No, that's not it. I have a better idea," Devon shook his head, still looking excited.

"Like what?" Smash asked, still as unsure as the rest.

"Digitron became more powerful when he digitised and absorbed Cruise. It's like you said - he powered himself up! What if we combined with our Beast Bots, so we could become more powerful too, like Digitron?" Devon suggested. Unlike his last idea, this one seemed better to the others.

"Like a Battilizer or something," Ryne considered.

"Exactly!" Devon nodded excitedly. "What do you think, Nate? Is it even possible?" he asked the genius. Nate looked thoughtful as he considered it.

"It's a complex idea," he admitted. "But…I think there's a way," he agreed.

"And if you're able to figure out how to turn a Beast Bot into data, you should be able to reverse it, right?" Ryne considered. Nate nodded, looking more and more excited by the minute as his mind began to race with ideas.

"And maybe save Cruise!" Nate exclaimed.

"Devon, Nate, you're geniuses!" Steel exclaimed, making the two grin.

"We're in," Jax decided. Smash nodded.

"Whatever we can do to help," he agreed.

"And whatever we can do to save Cruise," Scramble added in.

"Thanks guys," Devon smiled at the three Beast Bots, before turning back to his team. "We're gonna do this," he said confidently, and they nodded in agreement.


"Hey, Ryne," Asher got the Pink Ranger's attention as she walked through the base. Ryne had left Nate to his work, getting something to eat before Digitron returned.

"Hey," Ryne smiled as Asher caught up to her.

"I hear you went mentor-mode on Devon," she grinned, and Asher went red. "Probably needed, I heard how he was earlier. You okay?" she asked, worried about her cousin.

"I'm just glad he accepted what I said. I was kinda worried he'd get mad," Ryne admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. She hadn't meant to go so far with what she said, but at least Devon had understood what she was trying to say. "And we don't really have a mentor so I guess someone had to fill that spot," she added with a faint smile, which made Asher laugh.

"True. Commander Shaw is good, but not so much of a mentor," she allowed. "Dad had Commander Cruger, mum and Aunt Teddie had Keeper, and Aunt Teddie also had Mick. Most teams had mentors, it's a little weird that you don't," Asher considered, and Ryne nodded.

"Hey, you could always take on the role," Ryne nudged her, and Asher snorted.

"No way. I'm still trying to decide whose offer to accept," she grumbled.

"I heard that Nate offered you the job of his assistant," Ryne grinned, and Asher's eyebrow twitched. So Ryne had been listening.

"What do you think?" Asher asked, and Ryne's smile gave way to surprise. Despite how close they were, it was rare for Asher to ask her advice. Not to mention, Asher been somewhat avoiding her since even before she had broken up with Blaze.

"I think you're suited for both," Ryne said simply, and Asher grimaced. "But I think you'd do better as Nate's assistant. But it's not what I think, it's what you wanna do," she said, and paused. She then groaned, putting her hands to her face. "Great, I really am a mentor. How did this happen?" she complained, making Asher laugh.

"Thanks Ryne. And hey, if I decide to be Nate's assistant, maybe Zoey will be less jealous," she considered, and Ryne's head lifted quickly.

"Wait, what?" she frowned at the taller young woman. Asher couldn't help but laugh again.

"Really? You haven't noticed?" she asked, and Ryne frowned.

"I'm pretty sure the two told each other that they liked each other. I don't know why she'd get jealous of me when I've no interest," Ryne shook her head, suddenly exhausted.

"They have?" Asher's eyes widened. "And they're not dating?" she asked, but Ryne shook her head.

"Section 42-C, remember? Rangers can't date Rangers," Ryne reminded her, and Asher winced sympathetically. It was the entire reason Ravi had broken up with Roxy in the first place.

"Still don't agree with that rule," she muttered, and Ryne nodded. "It's not like matters of the heart can be so easily controlled," Asher said.

"You're right," Ryne agreed, and Asher went still as their eyes met. Ryne's expression was neutral, and Asher tried to do the same, but couldn't help but wonder if Ryne knew the truth. It was part of the reason she'd avoided the Pink Ranger after she broke up with Blaze. "Besides," Ryne continued with a shrug. "Being a Ranger puts things in perspective. You can't help that sort of thing," she considered. Asher tilted her head, looking curious. "And before you ask, no. I don't have feelings for anyone on the team," Ryne added, which startled a laugh from Asher.

"What made you think I was going to ask that?" she asked, and Ryne shrugged.

"Just being clear. Dad's already threatened to ground me for life if I ever dated a Ranger," she explained, which only made Asher laugh more.

"Really? Bit hypocritical of him, isn't it?" she pointed out, and Ryne nodded.

"Yeah, but that's par for the course now isn't it? Complains about me being reckless-"

"Which is true."

"And says I spend too much time in the lab," Ryne continued, shooting Asher a glare. The older girl just smiled, resisting agreeing once more. "But whatever. I don't have any plans to date a Ranger, so I think I'm safe," she said, and Asher snorted.

"Yeah, cause plans really work out in our family," she said sarcastically, and Ryne had to agree with her.


Once he was done with his work, Nate called the Rangers back to his lab, where he was holding Blue, Pink and Yellow keys. Asher had joined as well, still unsure of whose offer to accept.

"These Keys will digitise Smash, Scramble and Jax," he told them, and the three partnered to those Beast Bots took the keys curiously. "Ready to give it a go?" Nate called over to the three.

"Ha! We were built ready," Jax cheered as they turned to the Beast Bots.

"Just say the word," Scramble sounded eager.

"Hit us with what you've got," Smash agreed. The three exchanged looks, and approached their Beast Bots.

"Here goes nothing," Zoey gulped. Ryne knelt beside Scramble, patting her. The Squirrel Beast Bot squirmed, making her smile. Ryne then pressed the pink key to the side of her head, as Ravi and Zoey did the same.

"That feels kinda funny," Smash said as he began to vanish into green lights.

"It tickles," Scramble giggled, and they all vanished into their keys.

"Whoa!" Ravi gasped. "Smash, are you in there?" he asked the key as if he expected it to reply.

"Please tell me they're okay," Ryne looked over at Nate.

"They're fine. The digitisation worked perfectly," Nate soothed them quickly as Zoey looked just as worried. "Smash, Scramble and Jax are now loaded into your keys," he said as he read the data being reported back to him.

"You did it!" Devon cheered, having been watching from the sidelines. "Exactly like Digitron," he grinned.

"Whoa," Zoey giggled with relief. "They're data now," she could barely believe it.

"Affirmative," Nate nodded. "So with that in mind, if you hit Digitron with this…" he held out a Red key to Devon that was designed to look like Cruise. "It should extract Cruise's data, safe and sound," Devon's eyes widened at the explanation. "With your Beast Bot data loaded, they're primed to deploy into battle/ Let me show you how," Nate continued on, fetching the four red devices that were sitting on another table.

"What are they?" Ryne tilted her head as she fidgeted with the pink key in her hands.

"This is a Beast-X Mode Visor," Nate grinned proudly as he held up the device. He then took one of their Morphers that had been sitting nearby. "It attaches to your Morpher," he clicked it into place, and they heard power whirl through it. "Then, when you're ready to deploy your new armour-"

"We insert our Beast-X Morpher Keys?" Zoey guessed, looking down at the yellow key in her hand that was designed to look like Jax.

"Exactly!" this time Steel spoke up and walked over. "And then, thanks to my genius bro, Smash, Scramble and Jax will become your armour and amplify your Beast Powers in battle!" Steel told them, and Nate nodded to confirm this.

"Really?" Ryne's eyes widened.

"With Beast-X Mode, you four could be almost as strong as I am!" Steel declared, which made them laugh.

"Just a little bit more programming to upload, and these things will be ready to go," Nate connected one of the Beast-X Mode Visor to continue his work. As he did, the alarm blared and they looked around quickly.

"What's up, Commander?" Devon ran to the computer to answer the link.

'Digitron is back - Sector Bravo 6-4,' they grimaced at her alert.

"Roger that," Devon nodded.

"But the Beast-X Mode Visors," Nate hesitated as he looked over at his work.

"I got this," Asher volunteered, surprising both him and herself. She then smiled. "Let's consider it a test to see if I'd actually suit working in here," she said, and Nate nodded. She took the tablet that Nate had left on the table, scanning the information. "You've got seven minutes," she warned. Zoey groaned as Ravi checked the time on his wristcom.

"That Robotron could be causing some real damage in the city," Zoey pointed out.

"We'll have to hold our own without our new tech," Devon shook his head. They couldn't just wait around.

"I can power up your Beast Powers a bit to help," Ryne suggested, holding up her hands. It was rare that she used the Ninja Steel power she'd inherited from Teddie, but if it helped, she was glad to put it to use. Devon nodded.

"Come on. Let's get out of here," he led the team out of the lab, and Asher took a breath, looking at the Beast-X Mode Visors.


In town, Digitron had resumed chasing people around, looking for any kind of technology that he could turn into data and absorb to make himself even stronger.

"See?" he scoffed as he absorbed the camera that someone had dropped. "Was that so hard?" Digitron wondered as the Rangers turned the corner to find him.

"How much longer, Nate?" Devon asked, and Nate quickly checked his wristcom.

"Two more minutes," the Gold Ranger answered, and they groaned. It was going to be a rough two minutes.

"We can't just stand here!" Ravi shook his head as Digitron finished absorbing the camera and began to look around for anything else worth absorbing. He ran forwards, and the others followed. "Hey, Digitron!" he shouted, and the Robotron turned quickly. "It's not nice to steal," Ravi growled.

"Too late, Rangers," Digitron scoffed. "I've downloaded everything!" he declared.

"Well, we're gonna take you offline!" Devon shouted back.

"ACTIVATE BEAST POWER!" they Morphed, calling on their weapons.

"Beast Blast!" Devon hit the tube on Digitron's left shoulder, and the Robotron gave an angry shout as it was knocked off, landing with a clatter nearby. Despite that, he recovered quickly, knocking each of the Rangers away before hitting Devon harder.

"Devon!" Ryne shouted, and they ran to help him up.

"Come on, let's try this again," Nate told them as Devon recovered. They lifted their blasters. "Ready, aim-"

"Fire!" Digitron finished for the Gold Ranger, and all six were blasted. They managed to stop it from throwing them, but their energy drained as their suits tried to protect them and all sank to the ground.

"It's no good," Devon groaned.

"We can't give up!" Ryne shook her head, pushing herself to her feet. "Two minutes. We've got this," she tried to sound confident even as Digitron ran at them. "Ravi!" she caught the Blue Ranger's attention as she put a hand to his back, and Ravi felt the power start to flow through him.

"Right!" the Blue Ranger nodded as he channelled his super-strength, and threw a punch. It managed to knock Digitron back several steps, which made him laugh.

"Not bad," he allowed, but as Ravi tried to follow up with another attack, Digitron grabbed his arm and swung him to the side. Ryne cried out as Digitron then hit her with the back of his hand, and she was knocked away. Ravi instantly felt his strength fading, and even with his enhanced strength, without the power-up, it barely even phased the Robotron.

Digitron continued to throw the team around, landing powerful blows to both Ravi and Zoey. Nate and Steel tried to stop him, but he threw them off with ease.

"Stay down!" Digitron fired a blast that hit Devon, Ryne, Zoey and Ravi and exploded. When the smoke cleared, they were lying on the ground, barely able to move. "Fools!" the robot mocked as they groaned. Ryne rolled onto her side, trying to catch her breath as everywhere hurt. "None of you stand a chance against me!" the Robotron taunted as their weapons lay just out of reach.

"No…" Devon moaned, before they heard Nate's communicator beep.

'The upload is finished! The Visors are good to go!' Asher announced, almost breathlessly.

"Thanks Ashe," Nate breathed in relief.

"I'm not giving up until this is over," Devon pushed himself back up despite his shaky legs.

"What are you going to do?" Digitron couldn't help but laugh.

"You took my friend. But now, I'm gonna get him back!" the Red Ranger declared, glaring back at the Robotron. "Transport, Beast-X Visor!" with his shout, the newest creation appeared for him to take. "Here goes nothing," Devon muttered as he connected it to his Morpher. It flashed green and beeped as it connected. "Beast-X Visor linked. Okay Cruise, I got you into this mess, and now I'm gonna get you out," Devon declared as he held up the key, which lit up green with the Morph-X that fuelled it.

"Tech for me? Yes please!" Digitron immediately focused on it.

"Ravi, Zoey, now!" Devon shouted to his friends, who fired several shots at Digitron. While they didn't do any damage, they distracted the Robotron, allowing Devon to start running in. "Ryne!" he addressed the Pink Ranger as she got back up once more.

"On it!" she threw out a channel of blue energy that managed to force Digitron back a step, and he curled in to try and protect himself so that the energy didn't eat through his armour.

"Nate, Steel, your turn!" at Devon's shout, the Gold and Silver Rangers grabbed Digitron by the arms, putting all of their strength into holding him steady.

"What are you doing?" Digitron demanded, half-blinded by the attacks that hit him from a distance.

"What we do best," Nate grunted, digging his heels in.

"Stopping bad guys!" Steel declared. With a shout, Devon slammed the key against Digitron's chest. Instantly the Robotron screamed, feeling the key interfere with his own programming.

"Cruise, grab on!" as Digitron groaned, Devon pulled back, and Cruise began to form in purple data, pulled free of Digitron before vanishing once more into green data, into Devon's red key.

"No!" with his fury, Digitron managed to gain enough strength to throw Nate and Steel off. "You took my precious tech!" Digitron roared, and Devon glared at him.

"He's more than tech. He's our friend!" the Red Ranger declared, making the others smile and nod in agreement. Digitron growled in response. Devon couldn't stop smiling, relieved that he'd managed to save Cruise. "He's about to help me destroy you!" he held up the key he'd used. "Activate, Beast-X Mode!" when he connected it to his Morpher, there was a pulse of energy. New red armour appeared over his suit, forming a hard chest plate that covered his shoulders as well. "Beast-X Mode, ready!"

"Right here with you, Devon!" Cruise exclaimed from inside the armour, which made Devon's smile widen.

"Glad to have you back, Cruise," he said softly.

"This can't be…I feel weaker…" Digitron whined as he took a step back.

"Our turn," Ryne said as she glanced to the Blue and Yellow Rangers with her. They nodded.

"Transport Beast-X Visor," they all called on their own Visors, which appeared in front of them.

"Alright."

"Let's go!"

"Let's end this!"

"Beast-X Visor Linked!" they shouted together, connecting them to their Morphers. They flashed with green light. "Activate Beast-X Mode!" the three summoned similar armour to Devon in their respective suit colours. "Beast-X Mode, ready!" they shouted as the power surged through them.

"How are you feeling, Ravi?" Smash asked from within the blue armour.

"Tough as nails," Ravi answered with a confident grin.

"This is quite the experience," Scramble considered inside of the pink armour, and Ryne laughed.

"No kidding," she agreed, feeling more powerful than ever despite having been thrown around so much just moments prior.

"Time to kick butt!" Jax exclaimed, inside of the yellow armour.

"You said it, Jax!" Zoey laughed. The three walked over to stand with Devon.

"Nothing gets between us and our Beast Bots," the Red Ranger declared. With a nervous step back, Digitron raised his hands.

"Tronics!" he shouted, and the footsoldiers appeared to flank him. "Attack!" Digitron ordered. The Tronics rushed at the four Rangers.

"I'll take them!" Steel volunteered, but Nate grabbed the overeager Silver Ranger and pulled him back.

"Wait! Watch them," he said, wanting to see his newest invention at work. Devon knocked aside the Tronics that went for him, before seeming to vanish as another swung its weapon. He then reappeared as he slammed into the robot, sending it flying a large distance away. It landed in a heap, sparking before vanishing in purple light. Devon didn't hesitate, once again vanishing in a red haze. In a beat, all the Tronics around him were tossed aside, as one hadn't even hit the ground before he'd sent the next flying.

"Nope," Ryne tilted her head to easily avoid an attack. She then stepped back just out of range of a punch. "Next?" she barely moved more than she had to, easily reacting to every attack thrown her way the moment the Tronics began to move, almost as if she was seeing the future. Another kicked out at her, and Ryne moved around the hit, punching it hard while it was unable to react. Two more ran at her, and she moved around them so they collided with the other Tronics behind her. "Wow, this is incredible," she couldn't help but laugh.

"This should do it," Nearby, Ravi grunted as he lifted a steel beam from nearby and swung it like it was his sword. The Tronics around him were shattered as the much stronger metal collided with their armour, and they vanished in purple data.

"Here we go!" Zoey almost seemed to fly through the air as her Beast-X Mode granted her much more control over her super-jumps. She blasted each of the Tronics around her, taking out each before she landed easily.

"Phenomenal!" Nate laughed. Steel was too impressed to huff about not getting to join in on the action.

"Still standing, huh?" Digitron growled as they regrouped once the Tronics were gone. "Well, I've got something special for you!" he declared, firing a blast of energy. However, the four just swung out an arm each, and cut through the energy. It exploded harmlessly, and the Robotron staggered.

"Huh?!" he growled in disbelief.

"Not this time!" Zoey leapt back into the air with the use of her Jackrabbit DNA, and was able to bounce again in the air, dodging each punch the Robotron threw at her. Zoey just laughed giddily, before she pushed herself higher into the air. "Jackrabbit Spin Strike!" she came spinning down, slamming her boot into Digitron. He crashed to the ground, groaning as his armour crashed.

"Yo Digitron!" Ravi ran in next. "Get ready, because this move's about to rock your world!" bracing himself, he slammed his fist to the ground. "Gorilla Slam!" he shouted as the ground cracked in front of him, leading a trail right to Digitron before exploding up around the robot. He was thrown off his feet once more, rolling along before coming to a stop beside Ryne.

"I guess it's my turn now," Ryne considered brightly. Digitron got back to his feet, growling.

"You little brat!" he threw a punch, but by the time it reached where Ryne was standing, she was already in close.

"Squirrel Snipe!" Digitron had left himself open during his attack, and Ryne was able to strike in the most vulnerable part of his armour. Her punch smashed through the armour and made him scream as he staggered back.

"How is this possible?" he whimpered, turning to Devon as the Red Ranger stood nearby.

"Because Beast Bots are more than just technology," Devon answered simply, raising his arm. "They're our friends, and we work together," he explained. "Let's show him Cruise," he pressed a key on his Morpher, and four large golden rings appeared in front of him His armour glowed green for a moment as Devon lowered his body into a running stance. "Beast-X Cheetah Charge!" he ran through the rings, transforming into a massive red cheetah coated in a flaming aura. He smashed through the already damaged armour, cutting through Digitron.

Devon then skidded to a stop as he returned to normal, straightening up and turning to face the Robotron as the others stood with him. Digitron staggered as sparks showered from his body.

"Data is…invalid," he declared, before collapsing forwards and exploding. The armour vanished from around the Rangers, and their Beast Bots reappeared behind them cheering.

"That Beast-X Mode is amazing," Cruise told Devon, putting a hand on his shoulder. Devon grinned and turned to him.

"Thanks to you, buddy," he held out his hand, and Cruise clasped it eagerly.


The next morning, the Rangers were called to gather in Nate's lab again, where Cruise was waiting.

"Has anyone seen Ravi?" Ryne asked, noticing they were still missing the Blue Ranger.

"Guess he's running late?" Zoey guessed, unsure. Ryne frowned at the suggestion. Ravi was never late.

"Thank you for the blasters, Nate, they work great," Cruise held out the blasters for Nate to take from his arms. "But I think I prefer helping Devon in Beast-X Mode," he told the genius honestly. "Especially with that Cheetah move!" Cruise exclaimed as Devon grinned widely.

"It was a real blast!" Jax declared.

"Yeah! Sign us up for more!" Smash declared eagerly.

"I felt so powerful!" Scramble admitted as Ryne smiled and knelt to pet her. "That tickles!" she complained, but didn't move away.

"Hey, are you okay, Cruise?" Devon asked his Beast Bot partner.

"Yeah, but I'm sorry I got captured," Cruise apologised, which made Devon's eyes widen. "I really let you down," he lowered his head, feeling guilty.

"Are you kidding?" Devon stopped him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I pushed you into fighting when you didn't have the training. And I won't make that mistake again. Cause you're so much more than a Beast Bot. You're one of my best friends," he admitted to Cruise gently.

"Wow, Devon," Cruise put a hand to his chest, honoured. "That means so much," he hugged his partner tightly as Devon smiled. "I guess you could say, Beast-X Mode has made us closer than ever," he declared, and Devon nodded in agreement.

"I believe it's the same for all of us," Scramble said. Both Jax and Smash nodded in agreement.

"Rangers," the doors slid open and Commander Shaw walked in, accompanied by Lewis. Their smiles faded when they saw their expressions. Lewis looked grim, and Commander Shaw looked uncharacteristically frazzled.

"What's going on?" Devon was the first to speak.

"Last night, Ravi didn't come home," Commander Shaw's words made them all go rigid. "When I wasn't able to find him, I had Lewis look into it," she turned to the young man, who held out the tablet in his hands.

"I was able to find him but…it's not good news," they all gathered around wordlessly, watching the security camera that had picked up Ravi. He'd just said goodbye to Roxy, and was heading home when he'd found himself surrounded by strange creatures.

"What are those?" Zoey breathed in horror, and Nate reached out to take her hand, squeezing it gently in comfort.

"I know those things…" Ryne's quiet words earned their attention, but she kept watching as Ravi was dragged through a portal by the blue creatures. "They're Kudabots," she looked up, her eyes wide. "But how?" she demanded.

"Kudabots?" Steel repeated.

"Footsoldiers for Galvanax and later Madame Odius. The Ninja Steel Rangers, my mum, fought them," Ryne ran a hand through her hair. "But how? And why'd they take Ravi?" she asked, not understanding.

"From what I'm aware, they took Ravi through a time portal," Commander Shaw was quiet, her worry for her son glaringly obvious.

"Then how can we find him?" Devon asked. "He could be anywhere, any time. And how can we even follow him?" his fists were clenched as he felt painfully helpless. All of them did.

"There's one thing you can use," they turned in surprise as Spencer walked in, accompanied by Asher as she looked scared.

"Uncle Spencer?" Ryne frowned up at her uncle, who looked grim. In his hands, he was carrying a box sealed shut.

"Do you have some information on what is going on?" Commander Shaw asked, her eyebrows furrowed. She didn't like being held out on, especially with Ravi being dragged into it. Spencer nodded.

"It's something that happened in the past," Spencer explained, walking past to set the box on the table.

"Then why wait till now to tell us?" Zoey asked, not understanding.

"Because," Spencer smiled faintly. "There was a spell cast on us. One that I'll need to have a conversation with my mother about. A memory spell that caused us to forget anything that happened at the time where Ravi was taken to," he put a hand on the chest, and Ryne felt the gentle pulse of sun magic before the chest clicked open. "This device was created as a collaboration between SPD and Time Force, and allows the user to create portals through time and between time. It's basically a much more secure method of time-travel than what we have in the Nova and Omega Morphers," Spencer explained as he lifted out the device.

"This will help us find Ravi?" Nate asked hopefully, and Spencer nodded.

"Exactly that," he held out the device to Devon. "Be careful with this. These devices aren't intended for recreational use. Only for emergencies, as jumping between timelines destabilises the Morphin' Grid," Spencer explained as Devon took it, studying it curiously.

"And I take it this is one of those emergencies?" he guessed. Spencer nodded, and despite his smile, he looked grim. Devon turned to his team. "Then let's go find Ravi," he declared, and the others nodded, looking just as determined. "Then off to the past we go," he activated the device, and a portal opened up in front of him.

"Well, this is new," Ryne muttered.


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