Sector 15 Drive-In
Metro City, Canada
April 16th, 2015
11:46 PM

"Riley Bishop"

We were in the middle of fighting a virus at this drive-in that has been abandoned for years. When Silver first told us where the virus appeared, it never crossed my mind that it made little sense for Trojan to summon a virus here when it's been deserted for so long. If I had taken the time to think about it, maybe things would've turned out differently.

"Head's up!" called Yellow.

He had hit the virus in the back as hard as he could. This resulted in it being sent flying in the air like a golf ball.

"I got it!" called Green, "I got it!"

He jumped and thrust his spear upwards. He caught the virus shish kabob style.

"Youch!" it wailed.

"What's the matter?" asked Green, "Did I give you a pain in the ass?"

This particular virus was the height of a dwarf, so Green and Yellow were having fun tossing it around.

"Rangers," said Silver, disapprovingly, "At least try to be professional."

"We are," said Yellow, "We're jabbing it, um, professionally."

"Remember," said Silver, "It's still a virus, therefore still dangerous."

"Would you rather they put it down so it can demonstrate its power?" I chuckled.

"Touché," he said, "Carry on, I suppose."

Just then, the virus began to rotate its upper body in a full circle. Hundreds of tiny little black dots were released, but we couldn't discern exactly what they were. We weren't all that worried though, considering how small they were.

"Excuse me," squealed the virus, "I'm shedding."

"A virus with dandruff?" asked Blue, "I don't know whether to laugh or gag."

"Do you mind if I slice and dice it?" I asked.

"Please do." said Green.

Making sure my sword arm hadn't gone sloppy; I rotated it above my head. Then jogged forward into a small hop, ready to sever the virus in two. Just before I could go through with it, something went through me. I didn't know what it was, but it caused excruciating pain to radiate out from my chest. The pain lingered in my fingertips, and I dropped my sword in shock.

"Red? Are you okay!?" said Blue, rushing towards me.

"Yeah, I think so." I said.

What was that? It must have looked pretty bad to the others, because they were all focused on me.

"What happened?" asked Blue.

"I don't know."

"You screamed." she said.

"It was painful, whatever it was." I said.

"I saw it on your vital chart," said Silver, "But it happened too fast for me to know what it was."

In the confusion, the virus had escaped. Green didn't even realize it until he checked his spear afterwards.

"Damn!" he snapped, "The little bastard got away."

"Big deal," said Yellow, "We're each three times its size. How much damage could it possibly do?"

"Guys," I said, "Not to get all high and mighty on you, but I think that's exactly the attitude Silver warned us not to have."

"He's right." said Blue.

There was second surge of pain and I collapsed to my knees. I tried to get back up, but another surge knocked the wind out of me. I lost my concentration and demorphed. I heard snapping sounds as someone, probably Rachel, took their helmet off. Nobody was around to see, so the rules were obviously not her biggest concern.

"Riley?" she asked, nudging me.

"Blue, ixnay." said Green.

"I don't care right now!" she snapped.

This was a very unpleasant state to be in. I could see and hear everything that was going on, but didn't have enough energy to move or talk. It was like I had unwillingly become a mime and was now trapped in an invisible box.

"Riley!?" she asked, nudging me frantically.

"This is messed up." said Yellow.

"Come on," said Green, "Hold him up and we'll take him to Silver."

Even though I was still fully conscious when we arrived back at headquarters, no one seemed to think I was, because I appeared to be quite the opposite. My eyelids had started to feel very heavy, so I closed them. I figured my best bet would be to do everything in my power to reserve what little energy I had left.

"Everyone stand back!" hollered Silver, taking me out of Rachel's arms.

Once I was laying down, Silver took off my shirt and glasses, struggling with shaky hands.

"You make it seem like he's a bomb." said Oz.

"I'm just being careful, Heath," said Silver, "He's running a high fever and for all I know, he could be contagious."

"Then won't you catch it?" asked Marcus.

"I doubt it," said Silver, "Whatever this is probably only affects people with the Cyber Gene."

So, he finally found a name for it. Albeit not a very creative name, but a name nonetheless.

"Somebody should call his sister." said Rachel.

My attention faded in and out periodically during the next few hours. I remember Amanda coming in and hugging me. I remember hearing her freak out when Silver couldn't explain exactly what was wrong with me. I don't remember someone putting a cold rag on head, but when I came to, there was one.

"Can you hear me?" asked Silver, shortly after I managed to open my eyes.

I wasn't sure if I could talk yet, so I just nodded.

"I'm trying to diagnose you," he said, "I need you to describe your symptoms to me."

I tested my vocal chords. After gaining confidence that they worked well enough to allow speech, I nodded again.

"What was the first thing that happened to you?"

"I... was ready to... finish off the... virus and then... from out of nowhere... a surge of pain... I couldn't focus... demorphed... virus got away..." I said.

"Did the virus do anything right before that happened?" asked Silver.

"Little black dots... it shook and sent them out... in a radius... virus said it was shedding."

"I believe that was the virus' signature move." said Silver.

"What does that have to do with Riley?" asked Amanda.

"Well," said Silver, "It could be that this is what those black dots do if a person touches them."

"The Cyber Gene..." I said, "You said... symptoms were... exclusive to... people with the gene..."

"I said they might be," said Silver, "But I'm no doctor."

"If he needs a doctor then why is he still here?" asked Amanda.

"I was just voicing my frustrations," said Silver, "Hospital doctors wouldn't know what's wrong with him."

"Well neither do you!" snapped Amanda.

"Calm down... you two... not the time..." I said.

"He's right," said Silver, "According to him, his symptoms are mysterious surges of pain, sweating and fever."

"That doesn't sound like anything a doctor couldn't treat." said Amanda.

"They could treat the symptoms, yes," said Silver, "But the cause is what's more important."

Rachel teleported back into headquarters.

"Hi, Amanda." she said, realizing that her cover was blown.

"Don't worry, Rachel," said Silver, "We knew what having Amanda here would mean from the beginning."

"I had a hunch that you were a ranger anyway," said Amanda, "I wasn't sure about Marcus, and I don't know who the yellow one is."

"You mean Oz?" asked Rachel, "He's the guy that's picked on Riley since Kindergarten."

"Is that who Oz is?"

"Yeah," said Rachel, "Of course, he's tame now, but it's the same guy."

"I see." said Amanda, contemplating.

"How's he doing?" asked Rachel, changing the subject.

I drifted out of reality at her words. I entered a strange mental state wherein I was sort of in two places at once. I could still hear the conversation in Headquarters, but then, at the same time, I was flooded by a stream of memories. It was confusing, because I had to decide which I wanted to focus on. In the end, I settled on the memories.

"You're going to look so good in this tuxedo," said Amanda, sniffling, "Mommy and Daddy would be proud."

"Are we going to meet them at the funeral?" I asked.

I would never forget that day. It was the day of our parent's funeral. I didn't understand that they were dead, so I kept trying to figure out where they were. Amanda didn't bother to break my spirit because she wasn't ready to accept it yet anymore than I was.

"Do I have to wear the tie?" I asked, "It's tight and itchy."

"Just think of how handsome you're going to look for Rachel."

"She's my friend," I said, "She doesn't care whether or not I wear a tie."

There was a flash and then seconds later, about two hours had passed. Now I was standing at the edge of my parent's freshly covered grave. As I peered down into it, I remember how miserable I felt until Rachel showed up and grabbed my hand.

"There you are!" she said, "I've been looking for you."

"Sorry."

"What are you doing back here?" she asked.

"Thinking." I said.

"About your parents?"

"Yeah," I said, "I can't figure out where they went."

"Aren't they in this hole?"

"That's what my sister said."

"Then why are still trying to find them?" asked Rachel.

"Because I miss them," I said, "Maybe if I find them, they'll let me stay with them."

"I don't think it works that way." said Rachel.

"It doesn't make any sense." I said, holding back my tears.

"Not everything does."

"They left and aren't coming back," I sobbed, unable to hold it in anymore, "I can't even ask them where they are, or tell them how much I love them one last time!"

"I think they know how much you love them."

"IT'S JUST NOT FAIR!" I screamed.

I lost my balance and nearly fell onto the grave, but Rachel grabbed my hand and pulled me back in. She held me close and let me vent. Once I had settled down a bit, I looked her right in the eyes.

"You're not going away, are you?" I asked.

"Of course not," she said, "We wouldn't know what to do without each other."

She helped me stand up. Amanda was beckoning me to get in the car.

"By the way," said Rachel, "You look cool with that tie on."

Another surge of pain yanked me back into reality. I must have screamed again, because Amanda was pleading with Silver.

"Can't you give him something for the pain?" she asked, "Morphine, Demerol, Oxycodone, anything!"

"You need a prescription to get those," said Silver, "Which no doctor would prescribe without understanding the source of the pain first."

"I don't think this is a disease," said Rachel, rubbing my chest, "Look."

I concentrated hard and managed to focus my eyes on the spot where she was pointing. My veins were clearly visible through my skin, but they were square. My veins looked exactly like Trojan's.

"What's… wrong... with me?" I panted.

"I take it that's a bad thing?" asked Amanda.

"Amanda Bishop"

Silver called all the rangers back after he saw Riley's veins. I didn't say anything, because I knew that even though it didn't make any sense to me now, that it would once he elaborated a bit.

"I think I know what's wrong with him." said Silver, simply.

They waited.

"The integrity of his molecular structure is failing."

Well, so much for things making sense after some explanations.

"If I can't figure out how to stop it," he continued, "Riley will turn into data, just like how my machine turned Trojan into data."

"But, he'll be okay, won't he?" asked Oz.

"Data isn't meant to exist in our world. The only reason Trojan survived my machine was because he changed while on route to Cyberspace," said Silver, "But, unfortunately for Riley, that's not the case."

"Do you mean to say... That he'll die?" moaned Rachel.

"Yes."

"How... long?" asked Riley.

"Less than 24 hours."

"So, what do we do?" asked Marcus.

"The virus..." said Riley, "Get rid... of the virus."

"What about you?" asked Oz.

"I was... fine... until we... fought... that virus," said Riley, "Maybe... it did this... to me?"

"Black dots..." muttered Silver, rushing over to his computer.

"What black dots?" I asked.

"Riley said that the virus shed little black dots," he said, "If one of them touched him, then all I have to do to cure him is find it."

"Almost sounds like a tick," I said, "You know, if they could turn people into data."

Silver finally stopped typing and threw his hands up in triumph.

"It's #6C5P0U2X," he said, "The CPU Virus."

"That explains why it's so small." said Marcus.

"It sheds microscopic computer chips that will leech onto anyone in the vicinity. Once attached to a host, they overwrite the person's DNA with data," said Silver, "I think that this process was accelerated because of Riley's Cyber Gene."

"Don't go… too risky." said Riley.

"Not it if I reprogram their suits," said Silver, "I should be able to temporarily reverse the polarity of their electromagnetic frequencies."

"Can you please speak English?" I asked.

"I am speaking English!" snapped Silver, "Just because you don't understand me, doesn't mean I'm not speaking English!"

"Don't feel bad," said Marcus, "We all used to say that too."

"I stopped trying to understand his geek-speak after the first month." said Oz.

"Basically," elaborated Silver, "Your suits will repel the computer chips."

Deafening sirens went off and all the monitors on Silver's computer were now showing surveillance footage of the CPU Virus.

"That's our cue," said Rachel, "Hang in there, okay?"

Riley gasped in pain again, but nevertheless managed to give her the thumbs up.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Ready." said the others.

"CYBER POWER, ACTIVATE!" they shouted together.

In the blink of an eye, their suits had appeared out of thin air. From their "V" formation, they pushed and held two buttons on their wrist gadgets. After several seconds, they had transformed into beams of light, which soared up through the ceiling.

Silver never left his computer. He had picked up an elaborate headset and placed it on his head.

"Rangers," he said, "Even without Riley, you should still be able to summon the VR."

I couldn't hear their response, but Silver must have.

"The damage output will be considerably lower," he said, "But, based on the size of the virus, it should still be strong enough."

"Yellow," he continued, "I want you to hold both of the rear handles."

Since Silver seemed to have everything under control, I turned my attention back to Riley. His eyes were wide open and moving all over the place. I think they were bloodshot because of the pain.

"Riley Bishop"

I felt myself get yanked back into the confines of my memories. The first time I chose to see them, but this time, something chose for me. It was almost as if I was losing control of my mind. From the looks of it, my next stop was the first day of junior high; that's the day Rachel and I met Marcus.

I remember stepping off the bus and being tripped by Oz.

"Loser!" he snapped.

Rachel came down after me. While getting back to my feet, the bus drove away.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I stopped the fall with my hands." I said.

"Good," she said, "You wouldn't want to break your new glasses."

"Yeah…" I said, "We wouldn't want that."

"Will you give it a rest?" asked Rachel, "They look fine."

"That optometrist is a quack," I said, "My eyes work perfectly."

Wham!

"You were saying?"

I had just walked into a stop sign.

"I meant to do that."

"That looked like it hurt!" said a voice.

"Well," I said, "Appearances can be deceiving."

"What's your name?" asked Rachel.

"Oh, sorry," said the voice, "I'm Marcus. Marcus Reynolds."

"Unless I have a concussion," I said, "I'm Riley Bishop."

"And I'm Rachel Parker."

"Nice to meet both of you." said Marcus, extending both of his hands out at once.

I took his hand first and shook it, causing me to yelp with shock as my whole arm received a sudden jolt. Rachel smirked as she restrained herself from laughing along with Marcus.

After the sensation wore off, Marcus held up his hand to reveal a concealed joy buzzer.

Rachel took his other and shook it, but went through the same thing.

"I'm an equal opportunity zapper," said Marcus, "Do you mind if I tag along with you? I'm new to this school."

"Sure," I said, "If you don't then I won't get a chance at payback."

From that moment on, our duo became a trio. We always think of our meeting as a lucky accident. If I had never walked into that stop sign, we probably would never have met Marcus. Even though we hardly knew Marcus, as he followed us around, it began to feel like we had always known him.

"EUREKA!" exclaimed Silver, ecstatically.

His outburst pulled me back into the present with a lurch. My vision was blurry, but I could still make out the outlines of Silver and Amanda.

"You found it!?" squealed Amanda.

"Yes," he said, "The chip has embedded itself into his scalp. Right there..."

His voice trailed off. I knew he hadn't stopped talking, but I was sort of weaving in and out of reality. It got to the point where I couldn't tell what was what anymore. I could hear voices from my memories flooding my brain.

"I bet I can analyze the chip without even removing it from his head."

"Watch where you're walking, you klutzy douchebag!"

"It was Riley's idea to help me, wasn't it?"

"Honestly, Riley, do I have to carry a bib around with me for you?"

"It had to be you that turned invisible, didn't it? The one person I can always turn to when I'm out of ideas."

"What in the sphincter of hell is going on here, Osborne!?"

"Maybe if I find them, they'll let me stay with them."

"You are noble and selfless, so, I choose you to be the Red Cyberspace Ranger."

"Because she's my friend… Because I know that I can help her."

"Peaceful sleepers don't snore."

"It's still chasing us. I think you just made it angry!"

"I'm the guardian! I'm supposed to be taking care of you!"

"I'm an equal opportunity zapper."

"Why don't you just go out with the poor kid before he kills himself?"

"Hey, check it out, guys! I made them dance!"

"I am saying it to make you feel better."

"Well, this is exactly like sock-golf, only you're throwing your shoes instead of a sock."

"You can just call me 'Seb', it's easier to remember."

"That thing has weaved wires through his entire central nervous system."

"There's nothing I can do…"

"Riley…"

"Wake up…"

"I know you can hear me…"

"Come back… Please…"

"You can't do this to me…"

"You can't leave until I tell how much I... How much I love you…"

I felt something warm being pressed against my lips. If I didn't know any better, I would say it was… Another pair of lips. They smelled and tasted like vanilla… Rachel?

The warmth began to spread through my entire body now. I didn't even realize how cold I was. I was firmly anchored in reality now. I had heard so many voices. To me, it all felt like a dream. Who had said they loved me? I had been delirious up until now. If that last part was real, whoever said it would be aware of it when I woke up.

The warmth lingered long after the vanilla taste and scent left. Curious to learn how many of the things I heard were real, I managed to open my eyes. It didn't hurt. The pain was gone.

The minute I had begun to sit up, someone threw their arms around me. The smell of vanilla came back, only now it was mixed in with hair products.

"What's up, Rach?" I asked.

She refused to let go of me, so her voice came out muffled.

"I thought I lost you…" she sobbed.

"I've been right here," I said, "Haven't I?"

"Riley…" she said, "You were dead."

I broke free from her and leapt to me feet. I felt good. In fact, I felt fantastic.

"Well, if that's true," I said, "You brought me back."

"Hey!" snapped Oz, "What about us?"

"We helped too," said Marcus, "But only she kissed you."

"Really?" I said.

"I told you Marcus, that was mouth to mouth." she said.

"Call it whatever you want," he said, "You still locked lips."

"Since when is saying 'I love you' part of mouth to mouth?" asked Oz.

"Of course I love him," she said, blushing, "Like a brother or a pet."

I grinned at her, but, upon seeing how anxious she looked, I helped her out.

"I didn't kiss back," I said, "That makes it mouth to mouth."

Obviously, Rachel only did what she did because she thought I was dead. I could tell that even though what she said was true, she wasn't ready for the others to know yet. Sure, she kissed me, but she had no intention of us being a couple. At least, not yet.

"She also loves you two as well," I said, "Like, um, cousins."

"Yeah." said Rachel, showing her appreciation with a smile.

Amanda came back and hugged me even tighter than Rachel had.

"Don't you ever do that to me again!" she sobbed.

"You make it sound like I died on purpose." I wheezed.

"Technically you were in a vegetative state," said Silver, "Your vitals plummeted and stayed down even after the CPU Virus was destroyed."

"And all the computer chips went with it?" I asked.

"Damn straight." said Oz.

"Don't bother thanking us," said Marcus, "We're a team of friends who would do anything for each other."

"Took the words right out of my mouth." I chuckled.

"You know," said Oz, "I think I feel a song coming on…"

"Me too." said Marcus.

"Rachel and Riley, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" they chanted.

I couldn't see what Rachel did to them, but if I had to guess, I would say she glared at them. She could glare like no one else. She had like, fifty different ones depending on the situation. This time it seemed like she used her most menacing one, because both Oz and Marcus cowered.

"Oh shit…" said Marcus.

"That's the same look my Mom had when she turned forty!" whimpered Oz.

At least now I knew that Rachel probably felt the same way about me as I did about her. She might not be ready to express her feelings openly yet, but the fact that she even had feelings was all the reassurance I needed.

I just hope I won't have to enter a vegetative state every time I want her to show her feelings. I love her, but that would be a major deal breaker…