The Rangers sat in a circle in the main room of the Garage along with their civilian allies, though Summer was noticeably absent. The pounding sound of blasts hitting the walls outside could be heard, though they knew that Mandrake had nothing that would have a chance of penetrating their defences. Dr. K started the briefing.
"I think you should know what you're up against." She said quietly as she started up the screen. "Project Strychnine was an early version of the Ranger suits that you use now. It's a biotech hardware that accentuates the human body's natural reaction time, speed, strength, resilience..."
"Doc, they're tough, we know that already." Flynn interrupted her, flicking a hand towards his damaged hummer. "He did that to my car, what can you tell us that's useful?"
"Project Strychnine was scrapped while I was still at Alphabet Soup because it was deemed too dangerous." She told them. "The suits are bound into their DNA like yours, but there are numerous genetic, biological and mechanical upgrades that interact to make them far more effective." She explained. She looked down at her feet regretfully. "The suits are permanently sealed to them. They can't be de-activated or removed, and individually, they are more powerful than the Ranger rigs."
"So they'll be a tough fight." Scott commented. "We've faced tough fights before. What we need to know is what, if anything, we can do against them."
"The Mandrake unit is geared towards ballistic warfare." She told them, bringing up a file on the Mandrake rig. Flynn studied him with a mixture of interest and anger. He had tried to kill him and the woman he loved. He wanted to know what he could do to bring him down. "He was the one that fired the shot against Colonel Truman. His eyesight has been adjusted so he can view a shot up to four miles with pinpoint accuracy. He can also see in night vision and heat vision. He can pinpoint an area on the human anatomy a micrometer across with 100 percent accuracy."
"So he's a good shot." Flynn snorted. "I'll take him."
"The Nightshade unit is geared towards stealth." She continued, looking around the room. "The suit itself can shift shape to mimic any kind of clothing, size or build. That's how she was able to disguise herself to attack R...Dillon." She told them, bringing up a file on the female operative. "She also has a chemical within her skin that can shift colour to bend light. She can move with stealth, limiting visibility to almost nothing. She is also highly adept in the use of bladed weapons with an expert knowledge of human anatomy."
Dr. K shifted uneasily as she prepared to say what she had to. They were innocent, much like she had been as a child when she was snatched off the streets by the government as a mere child, but she knew there was no other option.
"They have been completely brainwashed. Their minds, their memories, everything have been completely re-written." She explained. "They know nothing other than their function and Gates' orders. They are no longer human, they're mindless automatons. Even if they were captured, there is no way to reverse what's been done to them. They're essentially dead anyway. We have no other option, they must be destroyed."
"But..."
"Ziggy, there isn't any other way!" She interrupted him, pre-empting his protest. "They can never be returned to their original state!"
"What about Gates?" Scott asked her. Dr. K flipped the screen to his profile.
"He still has his mind, though he has vastly increased physical abilities." She told them. "He sealed himself into the most powerful and dangerous rig, the Strychnine rig."
"What can he do?" Scott asked her. Dr. K sighed as she thought about it. She didn't want to provide him with that power, but at the time she had no other option. She couldn't escape him.
"It increases his strength, speed and reaction time exponentially." She explained. "It also gives him muscle-training in a number of martial arts techniques, making him an equivalent of a black belt in Karate, Judo, Tar Kwon-do, Aikido, Escrima, Kendo, Wushu, and Ninjitsu. He is virtually unbeatable in physical combat."
"Well I guess we're going to test that theory out." Scott replied.
"We have a while before he arrives." Colonel Truman told them. "I have something I need to take care of."
With that, he got up and left the room, heading towards the stasis chamber. They knew that he was going to talk to Summer. His deception had hurt her deeply, and if this was to be their final stand, he wanted to make amends.
Summer sat in the room, looking down at the pod, tears running down her face as she looked at Dillon's unmoving, lifeless face through the glass. She reached out her hand, stroking it longingly.
"I need you Dillon." She whimpered. "I can't cope with this by myself."
"You never did give yourself enough credit." Colonel Truman said as he arrived. Summer just turned from him. He knew he had hurt her with his ploy, making her believe she had lost him, but he had no idea exactly how much he had hurt her. "Summer, I wanted to say I'm sorry."
"Fine, you've said it." She replied sharply.
"Summer, I know I've hurt you." He told her. "I never wanted to..."
"I thought I'd lost you!" She screamed, rounding on him. "I've been losing everything! I was about three seconds away from losing it completely!"
"Summer, I never would have done it if it wasn't necessary." He told her. "The last thing I'd ever want to do to you is hurt you."
"I thought I was losing everything that mattered to me." She muttered, looking back to Dillon's stasis pod. "You know how much you mean to me."
"Summer, I protected you before, you know I'd never hurt you intentionally." He replied as he approached her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You're like a daughter to me."
"Then why did you let me think I'd lost you?" She asked him. "I needed you."
"If I could have done things any other way I would have." He told her with a note of sadness in his voice. "I never wanted to hurt you, but I knew the only way Gates would make his move is if he thought he had succeeded in having me killed."
"I was so close to losing it completely." She admitted as she wiped her eyes. "I was no use to anybody..."
"Summer, I'm sorry." He repeated, pulling her into his chest as she wept. He hugged her warmly as she let out her frustration and pain. "I'm sorry."
Meanwhile, Dr. K was busy working on something on her computer. Scott approached her, causing her to look up.
"What are you working on?" He asked her.
"I was trying to see if there was some way to shut down their weapons remotely." She told him. "Unfortunately there's no way I can do that without the use of an EMP."
"That would shut down the Ranger suits." He surmised. Dr. K nodded. "So we have to face them head-on."
"It looks like that's the case." She responded. Scott placed his hand on her shoulder, sending a warm sensation through her. She felt her heart beating faster.
"So it looks like we have a fight on our hands." He replied. "You haven't told us what he did to you."
"He did not mistreat me Scott." She replied, trying not to look at him. It was hard enough to talk to him. "Until he left me for dead, I was well taken care of."
"You don't have to sugar-coat it." Scott assured her. "I know you'd never have created those Project Strychnine rigs unless he forced you to. I can't imagine what a sicko like him did to you."
"I'm fine." She reiterated in a whisper. She hated the fact that she had been forced to make those suits, but she had no choice. She knew that Gates would have told everyone what she had done.
Outside, several APC's arrived, and troops disembarked, surrounding the Garage. Gates and Nightshade got out of one, coming over to where Mandrake was watching the building as he tended to the injuries he sustained in his earlier battle.
"They are still inside?" He asked as he arrived.
"Affirmative." Mandrake replied.
"Well they've decided where they'll die then." He responded. "We go in on my orders."
Back inside, Chas was getting ready for battle, strapping on body armour and checking his weapons when Brie came in.
"Chas, what are you doing?" She asked him, stroking his shoulders.
"This is my fault Brie." He answered as he checked the power cell in his blaster. "I went along with Gates' plan. I owe it to the city to fight."
"But you're in admin!" She reminded him, hugging him warmly.
"I'm a soldier first and foremost." He told her, sliding a knife into his boot. "I might have avoided fighting on the front line before, but that's what I'm paid for."
"Chas, I can't risk losing you." She implored him. "We're both grown up enough to know that we're being pushed into this wedding, but I love you."
Chas felt guilty as she said this. He hadn't gotten engaged to her because he loved her, much like his wedding to Summer his parents arranged it. After he had been dumped at the altar, they had been so embarrassed that they had arranged a wedding to the next most eligible socialite to save face. The fact that Brie wasn't bright enough to realise that, or to dump him was a bonus, at least this wedding would go ahead. He hated the fact that he was being forced to use her like that. His dad was desperate for Chas to have a child to be the heir to his legacy before he died, but it didn't sit right with Chas.
"Brie, I know you love me." He replied.
"Then leave this to the Rangers." She begged him, hugging him tightly.
"If Gates wins, we may as well be dead anyway." He told her. "Once I gave him the position, how long do you really think it would be before he had me killed too? He needs to be stopped."
He looked into her eyes, feeling everything she did. He knew her life was in danger. Gates had told him that himself. When he found out just how far Gates had gone to achieve his goals, he was more than willing to give his life to stop him. Of course that wasn't in his plans. He remembered the fear in her eyes as Mandrake had threatened to gouge them out with his letter opener. His heart had frozen when he thought she would be killed because of him.
"But the Rangers..."
"Have to face everyone." He reminded her. "They can use all the help they can get."
Brie nodded in understanding, before grabbing the sword he was awarded with his medal. She handed it to him.
"Just try to be careful." She told him. He looked down at her as she approached her, taking the sword. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He hadn't gotten together with her out of love, their relationship began as a salve to his bruised ego, but he now realised that he had grown to care for her. He leant in, kissing her passionately.
"You've never kissed me like that before." She commented. Chas smiled.
"If I make it through this, I promise I'll kiss you like that from now on." He promised her as he strapped on his sword.
"That sounds good to me." She replied. "I love you."
Chas smiled as he felt in his heart that for the first time he wouldn't just be saying the words, he'd actually mean them.
"I love you too." He replied. With that, he made his way back into the main Garage, where Colonel Truman, Corporal Hicks and the Rangers were assembling.
"Are we all ready for this?" Colonel Truman asked them. They all nodded in response. "Remember, Gates is the enemy, he and his two henchmen are the ones we're after. The soldiers don't know what he's done, they're innocent so set your weapons to stun and don't use lethal force unless you absolutely have to."
"We'll remember that." Chas responded, setting a pair of laser pistols to stun.
"We need to expose Gates." Colonel Truman told them. "We're going to upload all the evidence Sam gathered into the city-wide emergency broadcast system. That way, every TV and radio in Corinth will broadcast it. That should get the military off our backs."
"Dad, there is one problem." Scott responded, raising his hand. "We can't hack the emergency broadcast system from here. It's a secure server."
"That's right." He continued. "That's why we're going to central command to upload it directly."
"Wait; hold on, we're going to Central Command?" Flynn asked him. "In case you hadn't noticed, every soldier in Corinth is on their way to park on our doorstep."
"That's why we have to fight our way out." Colonel Truman responded, picking up his blaster. "We'll need to borrow one of the APC's. Seeing the state of Flynn's car, I think we'll need something a little more solid."
"That sounds like my department." Ziggy replied. "I can teleport inside one of the APCs. I should be able to clear it out."
"Right, once you have, let us know." Colonel Truman stated. "After that, we'll come out. If we move fast, we'll get to the transport before they manage to get to us."
"Sam and Tenaya will seal the others in my lab." Dr. K told them as she came into the room, preparing her sonic blaster. "They'll keep the Landsdowns and the Winchesters safe."
"Dr. K where do you think you're going?" Scott asked her.
"I'm going with you." She replied matter-of-factly. "I'll upload the disk..."
"Dr. K this is going to be dangerous." He told her. "You should leave it to us."
"Would you know what to do if you hit a fire-wall while trying to upload the footage?" She asked him. He looked around at the others who just shrugged. "I'll go with you."
"Fine, but keep your head down." He responded.
In the lab, Sam was busy checking her blaster as Tenaya came to her side.
"You are a medical professional aren't you?" She asked.
"I'm a forensic scientist." She replied. "I have some idea of medicine, why?"
"I think there is something wrong with me." She replied. "My chest feels tight; I find it hard to breathe, though it isn't uncomfortable or life-threatening. My heart is beating faster and my mouth is dry..."
"You're afraid." Sam told her, turning towards her. "It's natural, we're all scared."
"I have faced these soldiers before and never felt this way." Tenaya responded. "Why am I scared now? I know I have a good chance of escaping and surviving."
"Perhaps you aren't worried for yourself." Sam suggested. "You have been around the Rangers for a while now; maybe you're starting to care for them."
Tenaya thought about that one for a second. She had to admit that she had spent a lot of time with Ziggy. She always felt disappointment when he left, and she hated the time they spent apart.
"You care for the Blue Ranger." Tenaya stated. "Are you scared for him?"
"I am." Sam replied. "I don't want him to get hurt, or worse. I just try to stay positive and hope that we both make it."
"I hope he makes it." Tenaya replied, before making her way over to the corner of the room, sitting and looking around the room. Sam just put her blaster away as she considered Tenaya's statement. A part of her was convinced that she wasn't talking about Flynn when she said that.
Dr. K was in the stasis room, doing a few last minute preparations as the progress bar on the computer indicated that it was almost time to release Dillon from stasis. Scott entered the room and put his hand on her shoulder causing her to jump.
"Sorry I scared you." He replied. "It'll be good to have the team back to full strength."
"We can use all the help we can get." She replied. "I'm sure Summer will be pleased."
"She has been through a lot." Scott conceded. "I just wish they could have more time to themselves. He's pretty much going to wake up straight into all hell breaking loose."
"Scott, there's something I need to tell you." She sighed, trying to pluck up the courage to continue. "I lied about my childhood."
"Excuse me?" He asked her. Dr. K looked into his eyes as she tried to continue.
"I wasn't 7 when I went to Alphabet Soup, I was 5." She admitted. "I didn't go voluntarily like I claimed. I was kidnapped."
"Wait, you were kidnapped?" Scott asked her. She nodded in response.
"It's the only memory I have of my life before Alphabet Soup. I was writing on the ground with some chalk. I was writing down all the equations that I kept seeing in my head. Some government officials saw the equations and took me away."
She felt her tears beginning as she remembered the way she had been enslaved by her own government.
"I don't remember my parents. I don't even remember if I had parents." She continued. "I don't even know my real name. K was just a designation I was given at Alphabet Soup."
"I had no idea." He whispered as he tried to comprehend what she had told him.
"They told us we were life-threateningly allergic to sunlight to prevent us from trying to run away." She told him. "One day I discovered it was a lie. I tried to escape..."
She broke down in tears as she recalled this. Scott came over to her, holding her.
"Gates was one of the men that ran Alphabet Soup." She told him. "He held me in a cell exactly like the one I had there."
"Why didn't you tell me this before?" He asked her. "Why did you lie to me?"
"I've spent the majority of my life as a prisoner being forced to work against my will." She answered. "I didn't want you to think badly of me. I've been free for so long, and he brought me back! I thought I was going to die there!"
"Dr. K that will never happen." He told her bluntly. He released her a little, looking deeply into her eyes. "I promise you, I will never allow anyone to do that to you. You will ever be used like that again."
Just then, the alarm went off, indicating that the anti-virus programme had fully uploaded. Dr. K typed in the command to open the stasis pod. Dillon came to, rising slowly from the pod.
"Dr. K, I see you got back." He greeted her. "How long was I out?"
"About two weeks." She told him.
"Dillon, there's no time for long reunions." Scott told him. "Gates has turned the entire city against us. We have to fight our way to Central Command. Then we have to take on Gates and a couple of his henchmen."
"What?" He asked as he tried to make sense of what he had been told. "You people so need me. A guy takes a nap for two weeks and everything goes to hell."
With that, he hauled himself out of the pod and made his way into the main garage. Seeing him coming into the room, Summer's face lit up and she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him repeatedly.
"I could get used to waking up to that." He told her as she finally released him. "So what's Richie Rich doing here?"
"I'm here to help." Chas assured him. "I'll tell you everything if I survive."
"Right guys, this is it!" Scott announced as the Rangers morphed, ready for action. "Ziggy, this is your show. Good luck!"