Episode20:

Rangers Wars: Part I- Reinforcements from the Grid

Rushing as fast as they could, the Ranger burst into the warehouse, skidding to a stop with panted breaths as at last, they reached the safety of the firewall. From his desk, Doc's head popped up from behind the monitor, eyes widening as he looked upon the frightened Rangers.

"What's going on?" he asked them.

"You know that thing we were worried about happening?" Kyle panted. "Well, it's happening."

Doc released an involuntary gasp as he realized what the Security Ranger was saying. "You don't mean…?

"We do," Ray confirmed. "We just got attacked by Gideon's new golden boy."

"Called himself Goldar," Johnny added. "And his fireballs pack a mean punch."

All six pairs of eyes slowly turned toward the aging programmer, uncertain of what to do as they desperately held back the panic. But as they watched, Doc could only stare into the vague distance, as if the cogs in his mind were jamming and unable to move.

"He did it…" he stammered, "He actually did it…"

"Doc," Ray interrupted. "Right now, no one knows more about what's going on than you. Kyle filled us in a little, but you've got to read us in."

But all Benson continued to do was stare into the distance. "I didn't think…" he said weakly. "…it shouldn't have been possible…"

Ray shared a look with others, their nerves as clear as day. They'd felt that blast, the fury that had blown them from their feet. And judging from Goldar's display and exit, the message couldn't have been clearer. That was only a warning, a taste; the worst was yet to come.

Slowly, Ray stepped over to the desk and gently leaned over to the mentor that had guided them through so much.

"Doc," he said quietly. 'I know you're reeling, and I can't even begin to imagine what's going through your head right now. But right now, we need you. Because we can't be there for you if you don't fill us in. We'll find a way to beat this thing the way we always do: together."

The man blinked, shaking himself back to reality before gradually raising his head to meet Ray's eye. His gaze was filled with fear, but as Ranger and mentor stared at each other, a small ounce of resolve began to return and harden.

He nodded, and without saying another word, spun in his chair to start punching at the keys. The monitor sprung to life, pulling up an image of the creature that had just attacked them.

"This was him right?" he asked.

"Hard to forget a face like that," Jake confirmed as the rest of the team gathered around.

"Yup, then it was definitely Goldar, all right," said Doc. "He once served Rita Repulsa and Lord Zord in their battle against the original Power Rangers."

"But he was destroyed right?" said Johnny. "That means that the other Rangers were able to defeat him?"

But instead of Doc, it was Hilary that crushed his hope; shaking her head beside him. "They didn't. He had plenty of losses, but they could never manage to finish him for good. It was only when Zordon's energy wave was unleashed across the galaxy that he was finally destroyed for good."

"And now he's back," Ray concluded, "serving a brand-new master."

Doc nodded with a grimace. "And that's not our only problem."

"Kelgar's spent the last month looking for relics of former Ranger enemies," Kyle agreed. "If Gideon managed to resurrect Goldar, then he's probably got more on their way."

"The only silver lining," added Doc. "Is that it would take an enormous amount of energy to achieve something like this. Even if he brought back Goldar, I don't think he'd be able to recreate all the legendary warriors at once."

"So what I'm hearing is that we've got time," Ben decided.

"Yeah," agreed Hilary. "But how long?"

Around the room, they all shared solemn looks. On a good day, they could barely handle Mileena and her goons; and now they had to deal with others that were just as strong? Even stronger?

Hard as he tried to keep a brave face in front of the team, Ray could already feel his heart sinking at the prospect. They'd been doing so well, but now it seemed Gideon had been preparing to out-gun them all along.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Jake.

"Stay on your guard," Doc warned. "Gideon's already been getting more brazen with his attacks on you guys, and I'm worried after this hit from Goldar that it's only going to get worse. You guys need to defend the city, but if you run into Goldar, don't be afraid to run. You're this city's only hope, and sometimes it's better to live and fight another day."

"We've taken on tough monsters before," Johnny insisted angrily. "We always find a way to take them down."

"Goldar's different," Hilary replied. "He's not some random computer virus that spews a few puns before getting blown up. I've seen enough of the Ranger archives to know that he's the real deal. We can't underestimate him."

Her words stopped Ray dead; he'd never seen her this concerned. Her eyes were filled with fire, a drive, but they were also fearful. She was right; she'd already spent hours trawling through the archive for Doc. More than anyone else, she knew exactly what this warrior was capable of.

And the others saw it too. One by one their shoulders drooped, their faces sunk, and each one of them solemnly nodded in understanding.

This wasn't a fight they were going to win.

"Go home and get some rest," suggested Doc, "You're going to need all the strength you can get."

In silent agreement, they slowly turned to the door and shuffled toward the exit. Before stepping outside, Jake stopped and looked back at Doc.

"We're going to find a way to beat this guy, right?"

Ray put a strong hand on the teammate's shoulder, forcing a smile with all the bravado he could muster.

"Don't worry man," he insisted. "We're going to get him."

And with that, they stepped back out and headed home. Now alone, Kyle turned to his old friend, worry now on full display.

"Please tell me you've got some kind of plan cooking around in that head of yours," he pleaded.

Doc inhaled sharply, face betraying his uncertainty before shooting a warning look at the Digitizer.

"I've got one," he admitted. "But I have no idea if it's going to work. Or if anyone will even answer…"

The dark cloud rumbled overhead, light flicking from within as the storm began to loom above the city of Cranston. Hovering above the storm, Gideon smiled from his throne as his new warrior kneeled before him.

"How does it feel, Goldar?" he asked. "To have power, flesh, and blood again?"

"Ah," the golden warrior smiled, "it's exhilarating. I cannot wait to unleash my full abilities on the Power Rangers."

"Speaking of," said Mileena, leering from the corner. "You had them at your mercy. Why not finish them off there and then? Don't tell me this is some stupid 'warrior's honor' code?"

Goldar spun around, crimson eyes narrowing at the insult. But Gideon merely raised his hand, raising from his throne to step down onto the chamber floor.

"It was on my command that he held back," he explained. "Goldar's form is new, and I wanted to see what it was capable of. But I did not want to risk a drawn-out engagement with the Rangers if there was anything we had not foreseen."

"But they were defenseless!" Mileena insisted. "You could have easily changed his orders when you saw the fight was won."

"Perhaps," Gideon conceded. "But you forget something very important?"

Mileena raised a challenging eyebrow. "And what is that?"

"Fear…" Goldar growled, relish dripping from his voice.

A sinister split across Gideon's lips. "Exactly. The Rangers witnessed a display of Goldar's power, and have likely scurried off to their precious Dr. Benson for answers. But if Benson has half a brain, he'll realize the hopelessness before him. They'll have no choice but to stew in their despair until a time of our choosing to finish them for good."

Mileena paused, taking a moment to consider what her master was saying. Then, with a smile that matched his own, she slowly nodded.

"You don't just want them gone," she realized. "You want them destroyed; demoralized."

"Exactly," Gideon agreed. He finished his circle of the room and strode back to his throne, leaning back with satisfaction. "When a predator hunts its prey, it's to forget that the flesh is merely for nourishment. The flavor comes from fear. And I want the Rangers so terrified their defeat will be delicious."

A week went by, and all the Rangers had to do was wait; feeling like they were watched; spied on like mice in a barnyard, bracing themselves for the confrontation that loomed ahead. For many of them, just knowing that they'd have to face Goldar again was enough to put them on edge.

Not knowing when it would be was killing them.

By the time the weekend rolled around, Ray Johnny, and Hilary had decided that what they needed was to pretend that things were normal and were sitting at their usual table at the Shak. And yet even in their company, their minds were all stuck on the same question; who was next?

"We know about Ecliptor and Furio," Hilary pointed out. "We got that from the museums they broke into."

"But what about Reefside?" Ray asked. "No museum exhibits of creepy alien swords there, from what I could tell."

Hilary just shrugged. "I've got no idea. What do you think Johnny? You were in Reefside while they had Power Rangers."

"Yeah, when I was in the sixth grade," Johnny admitted. "Well before my days of running into danger taking photos of bad guys."

"Still," Ray pointed out. "There's got to be something you remember."

Johnny paused as he thought, thinking back seven whole years.

"I know there was this black, armored knight," he said cautiously, as if uncertain of his own memory. "And maybe one of the Rangers was evil? For a while anyway. I think a remember my sister saying her principal was evil but she might have just been complaining about detention."

Looking back at the two, his face was almost guilty.

"Sorry guys," said Johnny, "I guess I don't remember that much."

"That's okay," Ray replied. "It was worth a shot."

It was then that his face softened, narrowing in concern as he looked over to Hilary.

"Hey, Hil, are you okay?"

The yellow Ranger blinked and shook her head as if returning to reality.

"Um… yeah," she replied, only half convincingly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Ray turned almost the same color as his Ranger suit, suddenly looking away as if embarrassed for even noticing. "I think you've been drinking from an empty coffee cup for the last five minutes."

"Oh…" she said quietly, "…have I?"

"Well," Johnny decided, rising to his feet before any other offer could be made, "guess that means you need a refill. Why don't I go and grab so more?"

He didn't even need his superspeed to rush off, pointedly deciding to give the two of them a moment alone. Or, more specifically, avoid getting in the way of it. He approached the counter, putting on some smiling bravado as he approached the friendly proprietors. Skull was leaning over the bench, deep in conversation with a customer whose back was turned. Bulk meanwhile was at the register, casually turning to pipe in with a comment.

"The usuals for black, red, and yellow," Johnny asked jovially as he approached, now so confident with their order's regularity that he didn't even think about who could be listening as Bulk gave a nod and rang it up before wandering over to the coffee machine make them. But as Johnny waited, a surprising voice broke his daze.

"You must be on good terms with the owners if you're speaking to them in code."

The man beside him! And he knew that voice! Johnny spun around as the person chatting with Skull did the same, revealing a friendly face that he'd never expected.

"Dr. O?" Johnny gasped.

The science teacher chuckled at his old student's surprise. "Hey there, Johnny, it's been a while."

Of all his old teachers at Reefside High, Dr. Oliver had been his favorite. People often murmured that he'd had some kind of other life before, but now had chosen to settle in as a small-town science teacher instead. For the years that he'd had him, Johnny had always looked forward to Dr. O's classes. But when he left, he'd never expected to see any of his old teachers ever again.

"I… I don't believe it," he stammered. "What are you doing in Cranston City?"

"Let's just say I heard an old friend was in town," Oliver replied. "Thought I might pay him a visit, remind him of old times."

There was a quiet, ahem, from the counter, and Johnny turned to see Bulk and Skull looking at Dr. Oliver expectantly.

"Well," he chuckled with a grin, "a few old friends, really."

It took Johnny a moment to catch on, shooting a look between the three of them before putting it all together. "You know Bulk and Skull?"

"Oh yeah," said Dr. Oliver, "we go way back."

"Angel Grove," added Bulk proudly, "Class of '98."

As the three men shared a seemingly knowing look, Johnny's narrowed. There was something else to it, a joke that none were letting him in on. But before Johnny could try and press, Dr. O changed the subject.

"So how have you been?" asked Dr. O, "It's been a while since you moved up from Reefside; you settle in okay?"

"Yeah actually, settled in great," Johnny smiled. "Even if my current science teacher is nowhere near as good. I actually play in a band now; lead guitar."

"That's awesome," Oliver replied. "Wow, you're becoming more and more like your sister every day. And even I heard that there are Power Rangers here as well."

At that, Johnny tried very hard not to hide a grin.

"Yeah, it's crazy," he replied, "First, Reefside, now here. It's like they're following me."

"Yeah," commented Skull with a smirk, "weird..."

For some reason, Johnny couldn't quite tell who that comment had been directed at.

But then his Morpher beeped, his heart seizing as it snapped him from the recollective moment and back to the present. The call could only mean one thing, it was the moment that they'd been bracing for. Gideon was making his move.

He shot a glance to the table, where Ray and Hilary were already answering and signaling that it was time to go. All he'd need to do was discretely exit from the conversation, something Bulk and Skull were making increasingly difficult.

"You're taking pictures of the Rangers for the paper now, right Johnny?" asked Bulk.

"Is that so?" Dr. O inquired with an eyebrow raised. "I hope you're not putting yourself in danger doing that."

"Not doing that, no…" Johnny replied, still looking for an exit.

Thankfully Ray and Hilary arrived to give him one.

"Sorry guys, you're going to have to cancel our orders," Ray explained. "We've got to bounce."

"Yeah," Johnny agreed, "I should come with you guys, too."

Beside him, Dr. O only looked more suspicious. "Going somewhere in a hurry?"

Johnny's eyes almost bulged as realized the old science teacher was asking far too many questions. Think fast, Johnny, think fast.

"Um, we kind of told one of our teachers that…" he said slowly, brain still barely keeping up with words coming out of his mouth. "we'd help… paint… their house…"

It almost sounded like a question, and he did all he could to send a panicked look to his friends without alerting any extra attention. Thankfully, they picked up right away.

"Yeah," Hilary confirmed while shooting Johnny a look, "It was my idea for extra credit. I kind of dragged them into it."

Johnny eyed Dr. O and hoped that he would buy it. He paused, for a moment too long, and then chuckled. "Well, you kids have fun with that." he laughed. "I'm sure your sister is full of stories of the jobs I got her to do."

The trio nodded, Johnny barely saying goodbye before they rushed for the door to leave Bulk, Skull, and their old friend in their wake.

"Painting their teacher's house," Bulk scoffed.

"Hey," Skull realized, shooting a knowing look to their friend at the counter, "Didn't you use that excuse at some point?"

"Yeah, probably," admitted Tommy. "Probably worse ones too. So were they…?"

"Oh yeah," Bulk confirmed, "all three of them."

Tommy turned to look back at the door the three teens had bolted to, a proud smile on his face. "Wow, he really is like his sister."

With the teens gone, Skull leaned casually on the coffee machine, only for his hand to slip on the knob. He slammed into the counter, spinning the switch to cause boiling steam to spurt out from the nozzle. Beside him, Bulk rushed to turn it off, only to flail as the steam gushed at his face. One hand hit the knob, the other Skull, and the two bumbled to the ground, smacking the jug of milk from the edge.

The white liquid splashed over the floor, covering the two proprietors from head to toe. Then, slowly, the two rose to their feet, milk dripping across their faces as Tommy could barely contain his laughter.

"So," Bulk asked, rising in a stubborn refusal to acknowledge the cold substance leaking down his face. "Can I get you anything?"

But at that, Tommy shook his head. "Sorry guys, I'll have to take a rain check on that. Looks like I'll be seeing that old friend sooner than I expected."

He bid them goodbye and walked out of the Shak, and as he did, he saw he watched Skull curiously wipe his finger through the milk on Bulk's cheek and lick it, much to his friend's annoyance.

"Well," he snickered as he walked back up the street. "Good to see some things never change."

The Byte-Bots were swarming the park, people screaming as they ran to safety as the five teens and Kyle rushed up to meet them.

"Just your regular Saturday afternoon," Hilary commented.

"Looks like they need someone to play with," Jake agreed.

At the back of Ray's mind, he could still hear Doc's warning. If you see Goldar, run. But that was a problem for later, right now they needed to get people to safety and away from the robots.

He lifted his Morpher, ready for the fight.

"You guys ready?"

"Ready!"

"Data Squad!" they called in unison, "Digitize!"

Their Morphers burst to life, summoning the suits to mold them to their bodies and embued them with power. Then they lunged, engaging the horde with the Power Weapons to keep the horde at bay.

Sparks flew from the Byte-Bot armor as Ray charged, sweeping the Power Sword wide to send them flying backward. He ducked and rolled as another came at him, turning as he rose to plunge the blade into their chest. Then, with more coming from all sides, he sprung into the air, whipping his pistol from the holster to open fire.

He landed beside Johnny, who'd swung low with his staff to take out some bots at the legs.

"And this time!' he yelled at the sparking Byte-Bots, "Stay down!"

Around them, the others were having equal success. Hillary was keeping up the pace, yellow sais a golden blur as she carved through the ranks, biting the sides of the number to corral them together. Bunching up, her brother saw the opening, the hammer crashing down to blast them apart with a mighty shockwave.

Jake and Kyle meanwhile, were back-to-back, axe swinging wide to cull the number while Kyle used the precision of his sword to cull the remainder. With the numbers thinned, the Security Ranger spun around and switched to his pistols.

"Shall we?" he offered to Jake, who had also pulled out his Modem blaster.

"Oh yeah!"

"FIRE!"

The lasers sliced across the Byte-Bots; sparks bursting from their armor as the rounds exploded on impact, and with the numbers cleared, the Rangers regrouped, bracing for what was coming.

"That can't be it," Johnny warned. "Gideon never sends down just Byte-Bots without a reason."

"Right you are, Rangers!"

The voice sent chills up their spines as they turned to see the face they'd been dreading. Goldar stood atop the hill, a fresh squad of goons at his back.

"Impressive," he growled. "But not impressive enough."

"Sorry, we didn't say hello before," Ray snarled as he leveled his sword at their enemy. "We thought we'd give you a proper welcome."

"Then come! Give it to me!" Goldar laughed.

Ray's shot from the horde to the remainder of the fleeing civilians. If they ran away now, then they'd be leaving innocent people in danger. Not an option.

And left only one.

"We don't need to beat him," Ray said to the others. "Just play defense long enough to get everyone out of here."

The others nodded, raising their weapons in readiness.

"Come on Rangers!" Goldar taunted. "Don't keep me waiting!"

They charged, all sides descending on the winged warrior with Power Weapons at the ready. But as soon as they engaged, they realized their mistake.

He was ready for them.

Johnny got in first, a quick jab with the staff with the hope of following it up. But Goldar's hand snatched upwards, grabbing the end and reeling the Black Ranger towards him. By then Jake was in the air, axe raised with no time to change course. Goldar practically cheered with delight, swinging the staff with Johnny still attached into the path of the strike. Green energy slashed across his suit, tumbling him to the ground as Goldar sliced into Jake with his sword.

With two down, he turned his attention to Ben. The hammer came down, swinging wildly to keep Goldar on the back foot. But the Blue Ranger was too focused on the power and not enough on his footwork, unable to see what Goldar was doing. The warrior was in control, every strike landing where he wanted it. As Hilary closed in, hoping to take advantage of the distraction, Goldar sidestepped. The mallet collided with the Yellow Ranger, slamming into her suit as the unleashing shockwave sent her flying. Realizing he'd struck his sister, Ben gasped in horror. Just what Goldar wanted, hand lunging to grab Ben by the throat and hoist him into the aim.

"Hey!" Ray roared. "Put him down!"

"Okay!"

He flung Bena away with a flick of his wrist, hurling him into the barely recovered Jake and Johnny. Then Goldar's sword flourished, pausing in a stance as he readied for Ray and Kyle's assault.

The two moved in unison, each pressuring hard as the other defended, determined to find a weakness in Goldar's stance. But the warrior was always ready, always there. The blades sheered together, as at last both Red and Security Rangers lunged into a combined attack. But Goldar's blade parried both swords with ease, both Rangers struggling as he held them aloft.

"Too slow!" Goldar laughed.

He pushed them off, immediately spinning while they stumbled to slice into their torsos. Sparks flew from the suit as the blow slammed them into a heap on the ground.

"Ray!" Hilary cried as the team rushed to their side.

Bad move.

Clustered together, they made for the perfect target.

"What's the matter Rangers?' Goldar laughed, "Can't take the heat?"

A pair of fireballs seared from his eyes, flinging directly at the Rangers. The blasts hit the ground beneath them, booming as they expanded into grand explosions that tossed them Rangers in all directions. Fresh soreness began welling across Ray's body as he hit the ground for a second time, every limb throbbing beneath his Rangers suit before it vanished in a flash.

Battered and unmorphed, he rose to his feet with a groan, clutching his bruised arm as the others hobbled beside him.

"This is all that Master Gideon had trouble with?" Goldar cackled, "Maybe my master needs to rethink his battle plans."

The Rangers stared at each other, knowing full well they had no avenue of escape. Through his movement of battle, Goldar had them cornered. And now with suits re-digitized, they were also defenseless. With nowhere to go, they braced themselves for the end.

But then a voice cut through the park.

"Hey Goldar, heard you started the party early!"

Twin beams of white lightning cracked through the air, blasting into Goldar's shoulder to send the warrior reeling. The monster seethed as he turned to the source, and together the Data Squad Rangers gasped as they did the same.

"I don't believe it…" Ray stammered.

"It's another Ranger!" Hilary gasped.

His suit was white, stark against the overcast sky with a chest plate of black and shoulders of gold; a large metallic symbol embedded at the center. The helmet was a mesh of gold as well, stylized into the face of a tiger with its mounted eyes glaring at Goldar with an unnerving familiarity. In his hand was a curve-bladed sword, the hilt molded to the shape of a beast's head with red, smoking eyes pointed dead ahead at the Ranger's target.

The newcomer flourished their blade to point the edge at Golder, crouching into a fighting pose.

"Heard you were in town today, Goldar," he taunted. "So, Saba and I thought we'd drop by!"

"Ahh, White Ranger!" Goldar growled. "What a pleasant surprise."

The Ranger bounded into the air, somersaulting into a lunging strike that Golder parried. But as the golden blade sheered against the curved metal, the Ranger didn't relent. He pulled in close, cracking into Goldar's chest as the monster stumbled back. With a roar of rage, Goldar swung his sword, but the White Ranger was already moving. He vaulted forward, soaring over the blade before tumbling behind. The white sword slashed against Goldar's legs, causing the warrior to howl in pain as the Ranger vaulted back.

"See you've had some upgrades," he noted. "Shame you haven't learned any new tricks!"

"I've got plenty of new things, Ranger!" Goldar sneered back. At the call, a green light flashed as a fresh horde of Byte-Bots appeared around him. At the sight of the foot soldiers, the Ranger's stance softened, pulling up straight as his sword flipped back.

"Looks like you made some new friends," he said. "Hope you don't mind, but I brought some old ones."

"What?!"

At the Ranger's words, a pink of energy sliced across the sky, the warrior barely dodging as it exploded behind him. As the teenagers spun their heads to the source, again they gasped in total disbelief.

Another one!

This one was pink, white diamonds interlacing her chest, and her helmet styled to resemble the wingspan of a pterodactyl. Having pulled back her arms from the strike, a large bow was pointed straight at her target.

"Oh, Goldar," she laughed. "You didn't forget about little old me, did you?"

"Or me!"

Another figure lunged in, costume similar to the second but in red, his own sword slashing wide to carve apart the surrounding group of Byte-Bots. Leaping back, the two newcomers stood beside their comrades.

"All right," the Red Ranger cheered. "We were able to make it in time!"

"Rocky, Kim," said White Ranger. "Good to see you again."

"You? Absolutely," the Pink Ranger nodded, before motioning to Goldar. "Him? Not so much."

Goldar snarled as he raised his weapon. "It doesn't matter how many fogies you pull from retirement!" he roared. "I will destroy you all!"

"Did he just call us fogies?" the Pink Ranger asked. "That's rude."

"How about it guys?" asked the White Ranger. "Want to remind Goldar about old times?"

"Yeah!"

The three lunged in, the pink and red Ranger switching to the daggers at their belts. Pink and Red struck in first, a coordinated strike that Goldar caught with his sword. Neither were deterred, reefing up their legs to kick off his chest and flip into the air. Their daggers folded into pistols, blasting lasers at the winged monkey that he struggled to parry. As the stray rounds blasted around him, the White Ranger closed in.

The curved sword swung around, Goldar twisting to barely block in time. Locked in place, the two old foes glared at each other.

"You might not have any new moves, Goldar," taunted the White Ranger. "But I've got plenty. Hi-yah!"

His foot snapped out, stamping behind Goldar's.

"Ready guys?" he called. "I've got him all lined up for you!"

Goldar's eyes widened, as he stared at the white Ranger's helmet. "What!?"

But he didn't have a chance to see what was happening. The White Ranger kicked up his foot, sweeping Goldar's footing from beneath. As the warrior fell, the Ranger spun, planting his foot dead center and kicking outwards. A shockwave burst out on impact, sending Goldar flying; right into the path of the Red and Pink Rangers. With their target flailing, the two Rangers struck down, slashing their daggers against his arm as they rushed past.

Sparks flew on impact, both Rangers skidding into a crouch as Goldar tumbled to the ground behind him. As he slowly struggled to his feet, the three newcomers had already regathered; weapons centered on their enemy.

"What can we say, Goldar?" laughed the White Ranger. "Welcome back."

The golden warrior snapped up his head, sneering at the other Rangers before lowering his sword.

"This isn't over!" he yelled. Then he burst into flames, form flashing before a ball of white light shot into the sky, leaving nothing in his place.

"That's a new disappearing trick," Jake as he watched them go and the three Rangers began to wander over.

The team stared at them, in awe of the display they witnessed. Then, cautiously Ray stepped forward.

"Thank you," he said. "You totally saved our butts back there."

"We just wish we knew who we were thanking," Ben admitted.

The three Rangers looked at each other and nodded. Then they crossed their arms across their chest and chopped. "Power Down!"

The suits vanished in a flash of light, revealing the forms beneath. The Ranger Red was a tall, dark-haired man, dressed in a matching sweater, while the pink was a shorter woman with shoulder-length brown hair. In the middle, the White Ranger was…

"Dr. O?" Johnny gasped as he stared at his smirking former science teacher.

"Wait," said the Pink Ranger. "Tommy, you know these guys?"

Tommy looked at his former mates before returning his attention to the Data Squad.

"I think we've all got a lot of filling in to do," he smiled. "Maybe we should take this somewhere else?"