As they awaited the arrival of whatever vehicle Scott had convinced the Colonel to lend them, Summer was quietly talking with Dillon, reassuring him that they were there for him. Ziggy came over just as they were holding hands.
"Uh, Summer, could I talk to you about something?" Ziggy asked her. Summer just looked to Dillon and nodded in the direction of the others. She knew what Ziggy wanted to talk to her about. He had managed to talk her into explaining to Tenaya what had happened to her the night beforehand.
"Would you go and help the guys pack up the supplies?" She asked him. Dillon looked to Ziggy, a little curious as to what he wanted to talk to her about, and slightly annoyed that their moment together had been interrupted, but he went anyway. Obviously it was something that Ziggy wanted to keep private, and he knew she wouldn't break that confidence.
"Did you get a chance to talk to Tenaya?" He asked her. Summer nodded.
"I didn't think I'd need to have that talk for quite a while." She replied. "I know how much of Dillon's memory is missing, I can't believe she didn't understand what was happening to her."
"How was she feeling when you left her?" Ziggy asked her. Summer held his hand and smiled at her a little.
"Probably about the same as anyone feels when they find out they have that to look forward to every month." She replied. "She feels a little better though. I think she understands what this means now. At least she knows nothing's wrong with her."
"Was it really that bad?" Ziggy asked her. Summer just looked at him in a way that suggested he probably shouldn't ask. "I wish I could stay with her a bit longer. She seemed pretty upset."
"She'll be fine Ziggy, she just needs a little while to get used to the fact Venjix isn't dealing with everything for her." She replied, taking his hand. "Besides, the Colonel's vehicle should be arriving any time soon."
With that, the Garage doors opened, revealing a large, silver bus. As it rolled into the room, they saw the word "Go-Onger" emblazoned across the side in giant red letters.
"I guess that would be it." Ziggy surmised as they all made their way over to the vehicle. They all crowded around it, gazing at it in astonishment. Colonel Truman came up to it, patting it affectionately with a look on his face like he was looking at his own infant child.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you all to the Go-Onger." He introduced it with pride as a technician leapt down from the cab. "The General Outdoor Operational General-purpose Explorational Rover. An all-purpose attack and surveillance vehicle..."
"Designed and built in the Brighton Installation two miles beneath the Nevada Desert." Dr. K concluded. "I'd know their shoddy work anywhere."
"Not everyone had the funding and technology of Alphabet Soup Dr. K." Colonel Truman reminded her, stroking the side of the vehicle as the technician handed him the keys. "This was the pinnacle of technology when it was built. I oversaw the whole project..."
"This was the pinnacle of technology?" Flynn asked him. "It's a bus!"
"When was it built? 1973?" Summer asked a little sceptically with a giggle, looking at the decor of the internal furnishings. Colonel Truman gave her a little warning glare.
"It is kind of retro." Ziggy agreed, poking his head out the window. "It's like sitting in a time warp. Look, I even found a lava lamp!"
Colonel Truman snatched it off him with a small growl.
"I liked the style of that period OK?" He snapped, before stroking the side of the vehicle again. "Don't listen to them girl."
"You know, looking at it this might not be so bad." Flynn stated as he inspected it more closely. "Heavy set chassis, armour plating, bullet-proof glass."
"I told you it was impressive." Colonel Truman said proudly. "There are more horses under the hood of that thing than Genghis Khan's stables."
"Right, I just need to install that remote power unit." Flynn told them. "Dr. K, if you wouldn't mind giving me a hand."
"I'll be right there Flynn." She replied, following him to the lab. Summer came up to Colonel Truman with a curious look on her face.
"If this thing's a military vehicle, how come I haven't heard about it until now?" She asked him. Colonel Truman laughed.
"It was a military project, but the funding was pulled and the project was scrapped before it was completed." Colonel Truman informed her. "Rather than just scrap it, we agreed one of us would get to keep it. Since we were in Nevada at the time, we agreed to play a game of poker. Let's just say they found out the hard way how I funded my way through college."
"So you kept it for personal use?" Summer asked him.
"What can I say? I intend to retire some day." Colonel Truman replied with a shrug. "It sure beats the hell out of a Winnebago."
"Right, that's the power cell installed." Flynn called out as he finished up. "We're all ready to go!"
"Rangers, this power cell will allow you to use your Zord technology beyond the boundaries of the dome, however it is limited. You will be able to use only one Zord configuration."
"One Zord configuration?" Dillon asked her. "You are aware that the trip is almost two days out and two days back again."
"It is all the power the cell can hold. After that, its energy will be depleted." Dr. K stated. "After that, you will have to rely on your morphers and nothing else."
"Right, I guess we just have to make sure that one Zord configuration counts." Scott replied. "OK can I get the keys now?"
"You can have the keys on one condition." Colonel Truman told him. He pointed to Flynn. "He doesn't drive."
"What?" Flynn asked a little indignantly. "Why?"
"You have a habit of bringing vehicles back in more pieces than you receive them in." He reminded the Blue Ranger. "Remember the state of the bus you came to Corinth in?"
"I got it back didn't I?" Flynn asked him.
"Your Hummer pretty much needs rebuilding from the ground up." Scott interjected.
"You brought back the Lion Hauler in a less than admirable condition when you destroyed Mandrake." Dr. K reminded him flatly.
"OK, Flynn doesn't drive." Scott agreed. Colonel Truman smiled and handed his son the keys. "Dr. K and I will monitor things from the lab here. Take care Rangers."
With that, Dr. K and the Colonel left the room, sealing the doors behind them. Scott turned to the others.
"Flynn's driving." He told them. "All in favour say aye."
"Aye!" The others all called out as they grabbed their supplies and climbed in. Scott tossed the keys to Flynn.
"Please be careful." He implored the Blue Ranger. "This bus is my dad's favourite possession. It's worth more than we are to him, so please bring it back."
"Hey, I might bring things back in a few pieces, but I always bring them back." Flynn replied as he climbed into the driver's seat. "Is everyone ready? Next stop, Omega City!"
Meanwhile in the Venjix compound, Venjix was running scans of the area surrounding the dome. Crunch and Shifter were watching on with awe, still getting used to having their creator walking among them.
"Sire, the shields are lowering." Crunch stated, seeing the screen before him monitoring the energy readings. "Shall we invade?"
"That is not my plan. I had anticipated this move." Venjix assured his General. "My plan is proceeding perfectly."
"What plan sire?" Shifter asked as he moved around in the background erratically. "What can we do?"
"Prepare my personal transport, but remain here. I want to finish them with my own two hands." Venjix stated as it looked down on its hands. "It's time to find out exactly what this new form can do. Let's see what Project Strychnine adds to my technology."
With that, it turned and strode purposefully from the room, heading towards the hanger. It was time for the Rangers to fall.
The Rangers had been driving now for some time out with the dome. The wastes were a desolate, lifeless place. There was the occasional patch of moss or other plant life sheltered within the rocks along the way, but other than that, there were no signs of life anywhere. Summer crossed over to where Dillon was sitting, looking out of the window.
"I knew the wastes were bleak, but I almost forgot what it was like out here." She remarked. "I guess I didn't want to remember."
"It's one of the few things I can." Dillon told her. "I was out here for so long."
"It's alright Dillon, we're here for you." She told him. She noticed something outside that caught her attention. She nudged him gently and pointed, drawing his attention to it.
"A speed limit sign." Dillon stated with a slight hint of a laugh. "I might have known that would be one of the few things to survive the attacks."
"There's tarmac too." She pointed out. "We're on a road. It means we're heading the right way."
"I'm not even sure what I expect to find out there." Dillon told her honestly. "I mean, I haven't remembered much up until now."
"Dillon, you know we're here for you." She assured him.
Dillon smiled as she said this, taking comfort in her words. As he looked deeply into her eyes, he could feel the connection they felt in their hearts. An unseen force began drawing them together. Summer closed her eyes as they prepared to kiss.
At that point, Ziggy threw himself between them, looking up at some cliffs overhanging the road.
"Guys, did you see that?" He asked them, not even noticing the annoyed groans from the Yellow and Black Rangers as he broke up their moment.
"What Ziggy?" Dillon asked, clearly a little annoyed. "Did we see what?"
"I think I saw something moving up there." He replied. "It kind of looked like someone was watching us."
"Ziggy, it's a post-apocalyptic wasteland." Dillon reminded him. "There's nothing to eat, and nothing to drink. No-one's out here."
"No, I saw someone up on that ridge, I'm sure of it." Ziggy told them.
"Ziggy, we're all a little jumpy about being out here." Summer told him reassuringly, handing him a packet of chips. "Maybe you just need something to take your mind off things."
"I guess you're right." He replied, taking the bag, but keeping his eyes on the ridge for any further sign of what he had seen. "I guess I should just try to calm..."
The bag exploded as he pulled it too hard, forcing it open and spraying the contents everywhere. "...Down."
"Ziggy, would you try to be careful man!" Flynn complained, sweeping some chips from the dashboard. "For goodness sake, we're all jumpy enough, there's nothing out here!"
"Try telling him that." Scott answered, slapping Flynn's arm and gesturing forward. He looked up, and slammed on the brakes as he saw a sleek, white and black attack bot standing before them. A kind of cape fluttered behind it in the desert breeze. It's red, glowing eyes burned into them. The Rangers disembarked, coming to face it.
Back at the lab, Dr. K had looked out the chip that had downloaded the acceleration upgrade into Dillon's systems and put it into the computer for analysis. Colonel Truman watched on as she worked. Tenaya came into the room, wearing a surgical gown, and looking with disgust at the chair in the middle of the room.
"I thought you didn't think this was necessary." She complained as she sat down.
"Dr. K, shouldn't we be monitoring the radio waves for any communications from the Rangers?" Colonel Truman asked her.
"I appreciate your input Colonel, but if they need us they will contact us." She told him. "In the meantime, I'm trying to prepare for when they get back."
"So what does any of this have to do with the Rangers?" He asked her.
"If they are correct and they find something in Dillon's memory that helps me to treat him, it's best that I have as much information to work from as possible." She told him. "Now, since the chip downloaded an acceleration code, it has to have at least some elements of the viral coding in it."
She activated the restraints on the chair, holding Tenaya in place once more. She looked at her apologetically.
"I'm sorry, I swear you'll be sedated, and there will be no discomfort." Dr. K told her as she was put under and all the medical instruments started to attach themselves into place. "I have a full schematic of Dillon's implants, but my work on Tenaya's is incomplete. I only know that she has much of the same technology within her body, and she has shown no signs of the virus herself. She may be a good analogue for a healthy system to work from. If I can understand the differences between Tenaya's systems and Dillon's, then any information they can gather may just allow me to reverse engineer the virus and destroy it."
"I guess that makes sense." Colonel Truman responded. He looked down on Tenaya's unconscious form. "I just hope we find out answers before it's too late."
Back outside the dome, the Rangers confronted their foe, preparing for battle.
"I guess it was too much to hope that Venjix would leave us alone." Scott barked. "Right guys, we've done this a hundred times before."
"But not against me." Venjix responded in its cold, mechanical voice. "You have defied me for so long, it will be fitting to crush you underfoot myself."
"That voice." Dillon whispered, his mouth hanging open in amazement. He held his head as images bombarded him. He saw the horrifying scene all over again. The blind girl's screams as she fell, the Grinders' iron grip preventing him from saving her, the sense of hopeless loss as he watched her fall crushing what little strength was left in him. He was held fast, no longer concerned what happened to him as he was forced to face the pillar. He heard the voice, and saw its burning red eye as the Sat Bot came for him.
"Dillon, what's wrong?" Summer yelled, seeing his reaction. He looked into the robot's eyes, recognising it at once.
"That voice...the eyes...I know you." Dillon stammered.
"Nice to see you again subject D44." Venjix greeted him. "Yes, it is I Venjix!"
The Rangers all recoiled hearing this, realising they were in for the fight of their lives.
Meanwhile, on a ridge not far from their position, two figures watched on. They were wearing Ranger rigs, one Gold, and the other Silver. The Gold Ranger pressed the side of his helmet, activating a telescopic mode, zooming in on them.
"I can't believe they're going to fight." The Silver Ranger stated. "They don't have a chance!"
"It's just as well we're out here." The Gold Ranger replied. "If not..."
"What is it?" She asked him as she noted the pause. The Gold Ranger just pointed down at them. The Silver Ranger activated her telescopic mode as well, looking down. "It can't be..."
"It is." Gold replied as the Rangers morphed. "They have the Ranger series technology."
Down in the valley, the Rangers were quickly finding themselves overmatched by Venjix as they fought. Dillon was launched into the Go-Onger, stunning him and forcing him out of his morphed form as his energy was exhausted.
"Guys, we need to hit him all at once!" Flynn yelled as he, Summer and Ziggy all rushed him with their Nitro Swords. Venjix just scoffed at them as a sword appeared in his hand. He parried each of them with ease, before taking them down with a single swipe. As they hauled themselves to their feet in front of him, Venjix fired off a power blast which smashed all of them out of their morphed form. Dillon joined them, standing over them protectively.
"You are no match for my generation 13 technology." He taunted them as he approached. "Your destruction is guaranteed."
"Not yet!" Scott snarled as he swung his Street Sabre. Venjix parried every blow with practiced ease. Seeing the defensive pattern he was using, Scott paused as they parted.
"Those were Gates' moves." He gasped.
"To be more exact, they were the Strychnine technology's moves." Venjix corrected him. "With the Strychnine technology backed up by Generation 13's processer speed, this body is unbeatable."
With that, he fired another power blast, which de-morphed Scott, leaving him helpless with his friends.
"Guys, we only have one hope!" Flynn yelled. "The Go-Onger. We have to out-run him!"
They all rushed for the vehicle, slamming the door shut as the power-blast rocked it. Only the Go-Onger's armoured hull stopped them being destroyed. Flynn started the engine, flooring the accelerator and racing away as Venjix watched them.
"I anticipated that move. There is nothing you can do to prevent your destruction." He stated as he leapt into his personal craft, racing after them in hot pursuit.
"He's still on us!" Flynn yelled as he checked the rear-view mirror. "Guys, we can't out-run him in this!"
"Flynn, just keep going!" Scott told him. "We're approaching a tunnel. We can shelter in there until he breaks off pursuit."
A couple of blasts tore up the road and threw debris across the wind shield. Flynn hit the wipers, clearing it as much as he could.
"We're not going to make it!" Flynn told him. "He's got a lock on us, the next one..."
Just then, his fighter spun wildly out of control as a blast sheared through the wing. It split off into about half a dozen drones, flying in several directions.
"What was that?" Dillon asked, making his way to the back of the vehicle and looking out the back window.
"Who cares? It just bought us the time we need." Scott stated as they made their way into the tunnel, parking in the relative safety of the tunnel. Ziggy got out and walked slowly towards the tunnel entrance with Dillon.
"Someone just saved our asses." Dillon stated. "Who else is out here?"
"I know this might sound crazy, but I could swear I saw Zords." Ziggy told him. "Gold and Silver flying Zords."
"But there are no other Zords." Scott asked him.
"Then what do you call that?" Dillon asked him as he pointed to a pair of Zords flying away having destroyed the last of the drones.
"Dr. K would have told us if there were other Zords." Summer asked them. "Wouldn't she?"
