A/N: Just because I caused some confusion, the character Ronan mentioned in the last chapter is NOT the same Ronan from "Summer's Plight". In the episode "Ranger Green", Fresno Bob introduced one of the cartels as "Ronan and The Blue Crew". That is the Ronan in question, the boss of that cartel. The other one, I guarantee is dead, and isn't going to be making a comeback in the physical sense.

Flynn dropped Tenaya and Ziggy at the orphanage a little while before midday. Ziggy led her up the path towards the orphanage. She was a little nervous about the prospect of returning here. The last time she had been at the orphanage was the day Venjix had forced her to attack it. That was the day that Ziggy had saved her life and taken her to the Garage.

"It's alright, the kids won't recognise you." He assured her again. "You were wearing your visor when you attacked."

Tenaya followed him as he made his way towards the main door. Ms. Foster was outside with a few of the younger kids, giving them some time playing outside on the climbing frame. She smiled as she saw Ziggy and came over to greet him.

"It's great to see you again Ziggy." She told him, hugging him warmly. "How have things been lately?"

"Things have been a little hectic lately." He told her regretfully. "I'm sure you read the papers."

"I figured your friends haven't exactly had a great time of things lately." She replied. She saw Tenaya standing a little way from her. "So who's your new friend?"

"This is Tenaya." Ziggy introduced her, gesturing her to come closer. Tenaya approached, taking Ms. Foster's hand and shaking it.

"It's great to meet you." She greeted her with a warm grin. "The kids love it when they have someone new to play with."

Tenaya smiled a little hearing this. She had found herself having warm, pleasant feelings any time she thought about children, ever since the first time she had been to the orphanage. Something about them made her feel good. She was happy that the matron didn't seem to recognise her as the one that attacked the orphanage and seemed to be happy to have her there.

"Go on ahead and introduce yourself to the kids." Ziggy told her. "I'll be along in a little while."

Tenaya made her way over to the play area, kneeling down at the edge of it as she introduced herself to a little girl who was reading. Ziggy smiled as he saw her with the kids. Quickly other kids joined her and surrounded her, laughing with her as she talked with them.

"They seem to really like her." Ms. Foster observed.

"She loves kids." He told her. "I promised I'd bring her around here."

"She's pretty." Helen complimented her. Ziggy just looked at her.

"Helen, we're just friends." He told her. "Tenaya's been through a lot recently."

"Well I didn't say anything." Ms. Foster teased him. "I just said she was pretty. I didn't say she was your girlfriend or anything."

"That's good, because she's not." Ziggy warned her. "We're just friends."

"If that's true, why were you blushing when I said she was pretty?" The matron asked him, playfully nudging him with her elbow.

"I was not!" He protested weakly, feeling his face getting warmer as he began flushing again. Helen had always been able to see right through him. She had raised him since before he could walk, she was practically his mother. He knew that his protests were futile, she had seen the way he looked at Tenaya, and she knew he was falling for her.

"You know, just because you're friends doesn't mean you can't end up being more one day." She told him.

"Would you stop it?" Ziggy begged her. "I'm not going out with her."

"I'll tell you what, if you can deny that you'd like things to go further, I'll stop teasing you." She offered him. Ziggy just stood, opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish. He was trying to deny it, to protest his innocence, but the words just wouldn't come out.

"OK, I admit that I like her." He told her. "Man, I have to be nuts."

"What's so silly about that?" She asked him.

"I can't explain it, but it would be complicated." He said in response. He hated lying to her, but he knew she would never understand if he explained that she was a Venjix attack bot, and that she had already attacked the orphanage, not once, but twice. Ziggy loved her like a mother, and he thought of the kids very much as his family. He would never do anything to put them in jeopardy. Tenaya wasn't a threat to them, but he was sure that Ms. Foster wouldn't see it that way. "We're friends and that's all."

"Relationships are complicated." Ms. Foster replied. "That doesn't mean they aren't worthwhile."

"It's just...the Rangers would think I'm crazy if I told them." He explained. "Besides, I'm sure she doesn't think of me like that. She's pretty and smart and...what would she want me for? I'm nothing special."

"You really don't give yourself enough credit." She chuckled. "You're smart, funny, you're quite easily one of the kindest and most thoughtful people I know. There are loads of reasons she'd be lucky to be in a relationship with you."

"I just...can't." Ziggy told her. He couldn't explain that the real reason he couldn't take anything further with Tenaya was the fact that she was technically their prisoner. He looked over to her, seeing one of the girls looking at the silver cuff bracelet on her right wrist. Tenaya seemed to be showing it to her. It was a restraint, a way to keep her from detaching her hand or accessing her weapon, though obviously the young girl seemed to like it. Tenaya was smiling as she talked to the girl.

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to be happy Ziggy." Ms. Foster told him. "If you like her, maybe you should tell her."

"Ziggy!" One of the boys called from the circle of kids assembled on the lawn. "Come and show us some of your magic tricks!"

"Please!" They all chorused together. Tenaya looked at him. Smiling and waved him over.

"You wouldn't want to disappoint them now would you?" Ms. Foster asked him. Ziggy made his way over, sitting cross-legged in front of them and pulled up his sleeves.

"As you can see, I have nothing up my sleeves." He began. Tenaya sat with one of the young girls on her lap, watching Ziggy setting up one of his tricks, smiling. She loved it when Ziggy did things to make her happy, and he had given her a huge boost today. Not only did she love spending time with the kids, in many ways, it felt like he was accepting her as more than just a prisoner to look after. He had introduced her to his family, and it made her feel good.

Dr. K was working furiously, dismantling the weapon that had been used on Dillon. She allowed herself a little smile as she finally managed to remove the motherboard. As she heard the door beginning to unlock, she quickly shoved the motherboard into the pocket of her lab coat and shoved what was left of the weapon away. Gates came into the room, carrying a case.

"Did you miss me?" He asked her, setting the case down.

"Like I'd miss a case of measles," she muttered.

"Well, since you've been so kind and cooperative, I decided to give you a little gift." He told her. "I was planning on taking you with us when we go to the ceremony."

"You're taking me with you?" She asked him curiously.

"There have been literally thousands of people who have tried to change the world and take control." He told her. "Of course I'll be one of those rare few who actually manage to do it. I wanted you to be there to witness the beginning of the new world order."

"What's in the case?" She asked him. Gates smiled and opened it.

"This is the Widowmaker laser sniper rifle." He told her, activating a control that brought the glass tube, holding the male agent into the room. "You set him up with the Mandrake rig, so with this rifle, he'll be able to fire accurately over three miles. From the building I've chosen? There's no way he'll miss, and you'll have a front-row seat when he fires the shot that changes the world."

"You're going to shoot him?" Dr. K asked him, a little disbelievingly. "Why did you bother with all the other stuff? Kidnapping me, creating the Project Strychnine rigs, the White Rose, it all seems a little elaborate if you're just going to shoot him."

"It seems that way, but I just needed to tie up a few loose ends." He told her. "You see, if I just shot him, then there would be an investigation, and there'd be a chance it could come back to me. This way, there'll be so many possible candidates, that it'll be impossible for them to find out who did it."

He walked around behind her, beginning to stroke her shoulders gently. She felt a shudder running up her spine as he touched her.

"Just like a well-played game of chess, I have all the pieces moving into place." He told her. "I told the Sweet Tooths that the Blue Crew were going to invade their territory, and I told them the same thing. Then I just gave them a few weapons to kill each other with. When the ceremony begins, both sides will see each other, armed to the teeth and see that the rumours are true."

"They'll fire on each other." Dr. K stated. "The military will join in, with all three sides fighting..."

"That's when Mandrake here will take his shots." Gates told her. "With so many shots being fired, it'll be impossible to tell who fired the shot that killed Colonel Truman and his son. Since he'll be using a laser rifle, there'll be no way for them to tell it wasn't one of the blasters that fired the kill shot."

"But there'll be civilians there!" She shrieked. "With all those shots being fired, people are bound to be killed by stray shots!"

"You can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs." He replied with a shrug as he packed away the rifle into the case. Mandrake's tube disappeared once more into the ceiling, as Gates picked up the case. "Get some rest, tomorrow you get to see the start of a new world."

Sam was working through some tests as Flynn arrived in her lab. Because of the gravity of the case, security was especially tight. He had spent a long time being searched and questioned before he was finally allowed to proceed. He came over behind her, tapping her on the shoulder to catch her attention.

"I have turkey sandwiches and coffee." He told her. Sam grabbed the flask from him.

"Sod the sandwiches, I need caffeine!" She responded, pouring herself a cup. "I've been at this all night."

"Was it really that bad?" Flynn asked her. Sam nodded as she gulped down a mouthful.

"There were 16 victims." She told him. "There're still 3 we haven't identified."

"it sounds like there was a hell of a mess." He commented, looking a little warily at the unmistakable shape of a human body on the bench before him, covered by a blue sheet. This was one part of her life he was never comfortable with. He knew the nature of her job, but he still never understood how she ended up being so blasé around corpses.

"You don't know the half of it." She muttered. "I've got a full team and it's still going to be about another three hours before I can get to go home."

"What have you found?" He asked her.

"Nothing new." She replied with a shrug. "I really wish we had some more to go on."

"If there is anything to go on, I know you'll find it." Flynn assured her. "Now, if you don't mind, I think I'll be going. I think I saw your friend there moving."

"Flynn, all of his internal organs are the same consistency as minestrone soup." She reminded him as she looked to the corpse he pointed to. "The only time he's going to be moving is when I slide him into the wall."

"Yeah, well I still get a little creeped out around this kind of thing." He replied, kissing her cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thanks for the lunch." She called after him as he left. "I love you."

"I love you too darlin'." He called back as he left. Sam turned back to her work wearily. Whatever had happened, she was determined to find out.

Scott arrived back at The Garage late in the evening. He had spent most of the day with his father, talking about the recording and the implications of it. As expected, he had heard a long lecture about how he should have handed it to him in the first place. Of course by now it was too late. At least now though, he had the recording for analysis.

"Wow, I guess you had a long day too." Ziggy commented as he and Tenaya arrived back from the orphanage.

"You're just getting back now?" Scott asked him.

"Hey, those kids have a lot of energy." Ziggy told him. "So what's happening?"

"We're going ahead with the ceremony as planned." Scott told him. "Anyway, if you don't mind, I have a big day ahead of me. I'll be in my room."

As he left, Ziggy started rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Tenaya turned around, looking at him as she tried to think of what to say.

"Thank you for today." She began, fidgeting as she thought of what she wanted to say. "I really loved meeting the kids."

"They're a great group." He agreed. "Helen's a good person, she looks after them really well."

"I enjoyed your magic show." She told him. "I thought I'd figure out how you did some of those tricks, but you managed to keep me fooled."

"What can I say, I've always been good at sleight of hand." He told her. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

"I really did." She told him. There was a long, slightly uncomfortable silence as they just stood, looking at each other.

"There's one thing that I really want to know." She told him. "What did happen to that flower you made disappear?"

"It was magic." He told her, reaching forward. Snapping his fingers behind her ear, he pulled his hand back into view, showing her the dandelion that he had used in the trick earlier. Tenaya laughed as she saw it. "Here, you take it."

"Thank you." She replied as they made their way back to the secure room. "You know a few of those kids asked me if I was your girlfriend."

"They did?" Ziggy asked her as she sat on her chair. "Why would they ask that?"

"I think they want to see you find someone." She told him. "They really love you there."

"I kind of like them too." Ziggy assured her. "They're my family."

"I like your family." She told him. "Goodnight Ziggy."

"Goodnight Tenaya." He said as he left the room, leaving her to sleep. She held the dandelion in her hand, playing with it absent-mindedly and smiled.

The following day, Colonel Truman was in his office, getting into his dress uniform when there was a light knock on his door.

"Come in." He beckoned the visitor. Scott stepped inside as he straightened his medals.

"It's been a while since you wore that." Scott said with a chuckle, gesturing to the dress fatigues. "Is that what they call middle-age spread?"

"Mind your tongue." Colonel Truman warned him playfully. "I'm still more than capable of putting you across my knee."

"So are we ready for this?" Scott asked his father.

"Not quite yet." He told him. He reached into his desk, pulling out a bottle of champagne. He poured each of them a glass before handing one to Scott.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Colonel Truman asked him. "I could understand if you wanted to give it a miss."

"It's like you said, today is about Marcus." Scott replied, lifting his glass. "To Marcus."

With that, Colonel Truman lifted his glass and tapped his son's, accepting the toast to the son that wouldn't be at the ceremony that day, before they both sank their glasses. Corporal Hicks came into the room, seeing them both standing there.

"I was told to let you know that the ceremony's about to start." He told them. "Is there anything else I can do?"

"Just be ready for anything." Colonel Truman told him.

Meanwhile, in the central plaza, the crowd was being filed into the viewing area. A stage had been erected in the middle of the plaza, and a band was busy tuning up for their performance. Flynn and Ziggy were shown to their VIP seats in the front row.

"Are you sure it's such a great idea leaving Summer alone?" Ziggy asked the Blue Ranger.

"Somehow I doubt she'd have been in much of a mood to celebrate right now." Flynn replied in a sigh. "Besides, have you tried to get her to leave that room? She's barely been to the bathroom since we put Dillon in stasis."

"Hey, watch it!" Ziggy complained as a woman carrying a tray of sodas bumped into him. She never even flinched as she made her way down the row. "There's a huge turnout here."

"It looks like we might have some uninvited guests." Flynn said as he pointed to a couple of black vans pulling into a side-street. A few members of The Blue Crew disembarked, before standing, leaning on the side of the van as they watched everything unfolding.

"Remember, there are a lot of military here." Ronan, the leader of the gang reminded them. "No one pulls a weapon unless we have to. If the Sweet Tooths show up, we make our move. Until then, no one moves a muscle."

At that moment, on a rooftop overlooking the plaza, Mandrake dragged a struggling Dr. K onto the roof. Like many of the buildings in the area, it had been cleared as a security measure, and so there was no one there to see him bring her there. Her hands were handcuffed behind her back, and she had been gagged with duct tape. He shoved her roughly against a wall, before unlocking one of the cuffs. He threaded it behind a drainpipe, before reattaching it, holding her in place.

"Mandrake, this is Strychnine. Are you in position?" Gates asked over his comm.-link.

"Affirmative." He replied in a cold voice as he set down his briefcase. He began assembling the sniper's rifle.

"Is the doctor secure?" He asked the assassin.

"Affirmative." The assassin replied as he made his way to the edge of the roof. He levelled the rifle, before looking down the scope.

"Now, you are only to begin firing on my order, and you fire no more than three shots, is that clear?" Gates asked, looking around in case anyone was listening. He was wearing his dress uniform over his battle suit, and he was standing in position as part of the security detail.

"Affirmative." Mandrake replied. Dr. K struggled in a futile manner against her bonds. As desperate as she was to stop this, she was helpless to do so. All she could do was sit and watch.

Mayor Fallon walked onto the stage as the band started playing the National Anthem, making his way to the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the ceremony to honour the Heroes of Corinth!" He announced, eliciting a cheer from the crowd. "Firstly, I just wanted us all to spend a minute in silence out of respect for the fallen, those who didn't make it."

The plaza fell silent, and the crowd bowed their heads. Everyone spent some time in quiet reflection of those they had lost. Every second was agony for Dr. K. It was a reminder of the cost of her mistake. Eventually, the band played a tribute as the silence ended.

"Now, it's the moment you've all been waiting for. The presentation!" The mayor announced. "Firstly, for his unwavering judgement, and cool head in a time of crisis, Chad Winchester the Fourth!"

There was a rapturous applause that seemed to shake the very ground as he made his way onto the stage. Chas gratefully accepted his medal and his sword, before waving to the crowd. Brie was in the front row, flanked by numerous guards, and was clapping louder than anyone.

"I guess he got his moment." Ziggy whispered as he applauded politely.

"He did." Flynn sighed, not bothering to clap at all.

"Next, for his determination and valour on the ground defence, allow me to present, Colonel Mason Truman!"

The applause this time was still loud, though a lot more subdued. Because of the smear campaign in the newspapers, there were many people who had reservations about him receiving the award. He stepped up, accepting his award and standing aside.

"Is the primary target in your sights?" Gates asked over his comm.-link.

"Affirmative." Mandrake replied.

"Wait for my order." He told him. "The pieces are almost in place."

As Scott came onto the stage to accept his award, an ice-cream van came into the plaza. A couple of Sweet Tooths stepped out. One of them pointed across to the Blue Crew at the opposite side.

"They're here, just like we were told!" One of them stated. "Call the boss!"

"Screw that, they've seen us!" One of the others screamed as the Blue Crew opened the doors to their vans and started unloading weapons, running at them, screaming. "ATTACK!"

Screams erupted from the crowd as laser shots fired backwards and forwards between the two gangs. Chas pulled out a hand blaster and took cover behind the stage, while several members of the crowd ran in all directions in blind panic and soldiers joined the fray to quell the fire-fight.

"Sir, get down!" Colonel Truman yelled as he grabbed the mayor.

"Checkmate." Gates said over the comm.-link. Dr. K could only watch as Mandrake opened fire.

As Colonel Truman held the Mayor closely, guiding him to safety, the first shot went straight through his skull and hit the Colonel in the chest, causing them both to fall to the ground lifelessly. Scott was hit before he could morph, being dashed to the ground. Chas watched in horror as the scene unfolded. Looking over to Gates as he nonchalantly walked away, he realised that he knew this was going to happen.

A couple of hours after the ceremony, Scott woke up in hospital, feeling a sharp pain in his chest.

"You were hit during the fire-fight." One of the doctors told him.

"You were pretty lucky." Flynn told him. "It's a hell of a mess out there."

"The shot went straight through, it didn't hit anything vital." The doctor confirmed. "You'll be sore for a few days, and I wouldn't recommend hitting the gym for a while, but you'll be fine."

"How long will it be until I'm back on my feet?" Scott asked him.

"I'd say you'll be out of active service for at least a fortnight." The doctor told him.

"What about the mayor and Colonel Truman?" Ziggy asked. "Security wouldn't let us near the OR..."

The doctor shifted uneasily as he asked.

"Doc, what's happening?" Scott asked him.

"Mayor Fallon was hit in the head and killed instantly." The doctor informed him. "Your father had grave injuries from the shot that hit him. We took him into the OR as soon as we could, but we couldn't save him."

Flynn put a hand on Scott's shoulder, and his mouth hung open as he heard this. "I'm sorry, but he didn't survive."