Music blared as Cosmo strode purposefully towards the stage. Despite being taller, and having longer strides, Wrench was having trouble keeping up! Cosmo was fired up, and had called an emergency, last-minute broadcast. While the hunt for the Gold Ranger had been available on live-stream, as soon as he revealed himself and confronted Ripcon, Cosmo hurried to bring everything up.

"Get those cameras down there! I want every angle covered!" Cosmo yelled as he tossed his martini glass over his shoulder, having downed it in one swig. He sprayed his throat, before striding out onto the stage to a huge applause. Word had got out quickly that there was a special broadcast, and while it was far too short notice to organise charging a gate, he wanted the audience in and filling his studio, and so had taken the hit of papering the nearby population.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! You lucky, lucky few are fortunate enough to witness a once-in-a-lifetime special event!" Cosmo announced as he took to his stage, whipping up the crowd. "Here you have it, absolutely free of charge, the one and only debut of the GOLD RANGER!"

With that, he cast his hand over the large screen behind him as pyrotechnics fired off for effect. As it flickered into life, Cosmo prepared for the improvised play-by-play commentary of his life!

Back in the warehouse, the Rangers all stared as the light faded and Levi stood before them, morphed and ready for battle.

His costume differed from theirs; it had a kind of shoulder and chest piece that had decorative bordering almost like a tasselled shirt that would not look out of place at a barn dance, and a rim around his helmet similar to that of a Stetson.

"You? You're the Gold Ranger?" Ripcon screamed, realising that the whole time, he had been going after the wrong person. He had seen Tom with the Gold Power Star earlier, and just assumed that meant he was the Gold Ranger. It had never occurred to him that it wasn't his, or that perhaps even the briefcase he had been carrying wasn't his. He had been torturing Tom for information that he probably didn't even have! The worst part was when he realised that for all Tom's screams of pain and protest that he didn't know who had taken the Gold Ranger on the ship, he had been telling the truth!

"Oh my GOD!" Sarah squealed in delight. "LEVI WESTON is the GOLD RANGER!"

"You kidnapped and tortured my brother." Levi stated, staring down Ripcon. "After that, no way you live!"

"You seem awfully confident cowboy!" Ripcon sneered. "Let's see you back that up!"

The two rushed towards each other, beginning a frantic battle. The Rangers couldn't help staring, watching the new Ranger in action. He was a sight to behold, far from being some kind of novice; he seemed to really know what he was doing! Unarmed, he was keeping pace with one of Galvinax's most deadly warriors! Brody grabbed the net and started to scramble.

"Guys, the battle is bound to draw the attention of the kudabots outside!" Brody reminded them as he picked a strand and started to pull it, working in one direction to try and pull the edge of the net towards him. "We need to get out of this!"

"Oh...right, the net!" Preston said, concentrating on the net. "Chango!"

The Rangers all sighed and stared at him as the strands of the net changed. Calvin pulled it apart, looking to the strands in his hand.

"Silly string?" He asked. "You seriously turned the net into silly string?"

"It was the first thing I thought of!" Preston protested.

"And you couldn't have thought of this like...three minutes ago?" Hayley asked him. "You know, while we were being electrocuted?"

"Um..."

"Guys, priorities!" Sarah responded as she got to her feet, pointing to the entrance as kudabots started to enter. The remaining guards had obviously heard the commotion inside and had come in to help.

"Ninja SPIN!" They chorused together as they ran to intercept them. Meanwhile, Levi was locked in his own battle with Ripcon, eager to exact vengeance on him for what he had done to Tom. He leapt away, landing on a catwalk high above Ripcon to get some room.

"You think you can get away from me up there?" Ripcon screamed at him. He began firing energy blasts, some of which Levi dodged as he summoned his own weapon. It was a strange cross between a sword and a guitar, which he used to block and deflect some of Ripcon's blasts.

"You do NOT want to take on a Texan in a shooting contest!" Levi called out, gripping his weapon, pointing it at him and taking the trigger mechanism. "Rockstorm BLAST!"

Ripcon managed to block a few of the blasts, but Levi was so trigger-happy it was like trying to block the traffic on an eight lane expressway! Pretty soon he was getting slammed again and again by high powered blasts which knocked the wind right out of him. He barely managed to recover before Levi was once again on top of him, smashing into him with his weapon.

The evil warrior flew through a wall, tumbling away as Levi rushed out after him. Seeing the monster vulnerable, Levi could only think of Tom, who was still hiding inside, in desperate need of medical help now that he had taken the bullet for him. He could see that Ripcon had tortured him, and he didn't even need to ask to know that Tom would have taken every ounce of pain Ripcon dished out without a second thought to protect him. Tom had always been fiercely loyal to his family, and would have no doubt been prepared to die to keep Levi safe.

Levi kicked Ripcon hard in the chest, bringing him back to his feet, before swinging for him in a fury that rivalled the bulls he loved riding back home. Ripcon was already struggling, his strength leaving him with every blow. He locked blades with Levi, struggling to get his breath back.

"You, how did you get on the ship?" Ripcon yelled at him. "TELL ME!"

"Who let me on the ship?" Levi asked him. He was livid, even now the only thing that Ripcon cared about was finding out who the traitor on board was. He didn't care who he had hurt in his path to that information. Since he was determined to finish him, part of him wanted to tell Ripcon, to let him know in his final moments who had sold him out, but another part of him only wanted him to suffer more, to die none the wiser as to why he had sold his life.

"That's for me to know..." Levi told him, forcing back the blades towards him, powering up his own blade. "And you to NEVER find out!"

The blades were forced back into Ripcon, the concussive force of the energy punting Ripcon a significant distance. Levi started to power up his weapon, channelling everything he had into it as he took careful aim.

Up on the Warrior Dome, Cosmo was watching the battle, and could hear the audience reaction. They were lapping it up, and they were all on their feet, calling out, chanting and stomping their feet in a frenzy. He looked across to Wrench.

"Get him out of there!" He called out.

"What?" Wrench asked him.

"There's no rematch if they kill him!" Cosmo told him. "No one dies for free on my show!"

"But...but...how?"

"Figure something out!" Cosmo told him. "Just get him out of there, NOW!"

Wrench hit the button on the teleporter.

The other Rangers had finished up with their kudabot enemies and were running out just as Levi was preparing to finish off Ripcon. They all stood behind him, grabbing his shoulders and channelling energy into him.

"Do it Levi!" Brody told him. "Take him down!"

"Rockstorm Blast, FINAL STRIKE!" Levi called out, opening fire. Before the shot hit home though, there was a flash of light and the blast hit something, and there was a massive cloud of smoke. As it cleared, the team saw Wrench standing between them and Ripcon, his axe smoking as it took the brunt of the blast. Water started spouting from Wrench's eyes as he dropped it, shaking his hands.

"OW! That stings SO MUCH!" He whined. Sarah's mouth hung open in shock. She had heard Mick and Brody say his name, but she had hoped it was a pure coincidence. She recalled her helmet as she saw him.

"Wrench?" She gasped. "Oh my God...it IS you!"

"You know this guy?" Calvin asked her. She just nodded.

"He was part of Sledge's crew!" She told him. "I guess he switched employers!"

"I don't care who you are partner, my issue is with your man there!" Levi said curtly. "Step aside, or get blown away with him!"

"I don't think so! He's been recalled!" Wrench told them.

"You think he gets to cut and run..."

"We ALL need a little help sometimes." Wrench said, looking to Brody. "Right?"

Brody paused for a moment. Ripcon had tortured and tormented him most of his life, he was responsible for his father's death, he had caused nothing but misery and suffering for years...but there was one fact that he couldn't get past. While he knew that he hadn't exactly been altruistic in his motives, since it seemed he was now in a commanding position in Cosmo's crew, Wrench had disabled security on the Warrior Dome, and he had been the one to tell Brody they were coming to Earth. He was the one that let Brody know that his opportunity to escape had finally come. Like it or not, Brody owed him for that.

"Stand down." Brody told the team.

"What?" Hayley asked. "Brody, Ripcon's on his knees! He's..."

"I said STAND DOWN!" Brody reiterated. He looked to Wrench and levelled his sword his way. "Take him and go. Just remember...this is a one-time deal."

Wrench knew that many humans had an odd sense of fair play and debt that they found it difficult to shake. Good types like the Rangers often felt compelled to repay any debt they owed, even if doing so wasn't in their best interests. He had hoped to hang onto that bargaining chip a little longer, but he was sure that keeping on Cosmo's good side was likely to yield its own rewards. If he had to cash in this favour now, he would hopefully get it back with interest from Cosmo in the long run. Wrench grabbed Ripcon.

"You know what they say, the show must go on." Wrench stated. "Hope you don't mind us switching out partners."

With that, he disappeared. Levi looked to Brody.

"You let him get away!" He protested.

"He'll be back." Brody assured him. "Right now, your brother needs him. Take him to a hospital then meet us at the High School."

Levi didn't seem too happy with this resolution, but Brody had a point. As much as he wanted to see Ripcon pay for what he had done, right now the important thing was making sure Tom got the treatment he needed. He nodded, before heading inside to find his brother.

The Rangers watched as a Skullgator started to form up a little way from them. Brody looked to the rest of the team.

"Alright guys, we've done this before." Brody reminded them. "Ninja Zords, out of the shadows!"

Levi was thankful for his Ranger powers; it helped him get Tom to the hospital in double-quick time. He didn't need to worry about traffic or waiting for an ambulance; he was able to take Tom in pretty quickly himself.

He arrived at the front door of the hospital, where there were some orderlies waiting.

"This man needs help!" Levi called out, taking care not to identify his relationship to Tom in any way. Although he hadn't had the 'rules' explained to him, he was pretty sure that advertising the fact he was the Gold Ranger would be a bad idea. Not necessarily for himself, if anything he had to think that revealing that Levi Weston was also the Gold Ranger would likely only put all his sales into multiple-platinum range! Of course the fact was that many people worked for Levi, and he couldn't always guarantee being around. What happened to Tom was a wake-up call.

He hadn't thought much about trusting Tom with the Power Star. He had only given it to him out of convenience while he was at the signing, and then completely forgotten about the fact Tom had it. He had been so caught up in spending time with Brody, trying to win him over and make a friend that he had left Tom with the mother of all bulls eyes painted right on his forehead.

Tom might not have been blood, but he was Levi's brother. From what he remembered, Tom and his dad had found him busking on the streets in Texas, trying to scrape together enough money to eat. His memory from before then was still a mystery to him, but he was certain he had been on the streets. He imagined that perhaps he had seen and had to do things to survive that perhaps his brain blocked out to protect him, but after hearing him sing and taking him for something to eat, Tom's dad had taken a shine to Levi and taken him in.

He wasn't even really a Weston. His real surname...that was a mystery as well, something that Odious' programming had robbed him of, but whatever it was, for a decade no one had come looking for him, and to the best of anyone's knowledge there wasn't even a missing person's report out for him. He wasn't sure it mattered what his surname was. How much could his 'real family' have cared about him if they hadn't so much as looked for him. He hadn't been officially adopted, but he had joyfully taken on the Weston name when they took him in. They had fed him, clothed him and given him a home when no one else would; they were his family in every way that counted.

Being connected to him, being close to him, Tom had ended up in the crosshairs. What was worse was that when he had been taken he had the Power Star. Levi knew his power, and while he wasn't sure how it worked, he was certain it wasn't the kind of thing that should fall into the wrong hands. He had almost delivered a weapon as powerful as a nuke into the hands of the aliens attacking the Earth with all the care of the many people every year who left their loaded gun unattended in the house where their kids could get their hands on it. It was a miracle that things hadn't been so much worse.

As the orderlies brought a gurney, Levi laid his brother on it carefully.

"Jesus Christ, what happened to him?" One of the orderlies remarked, seeing the horrendous cuts all over Tom's body. "He looks like he was worked over by Sweeny Todd!"

"Please, take really good care of him." Levi told them.

"You can be sure of that." Another said as they rushed him inside. Levi watched them take him inside, before realising he was starting to draw a crowd. He was used to it, so it took him a moment but as he was looking around he had to remind himself that no one here knew he was Levi Weston. They were all clamouring around the Gold Ranger! He ran from the hospital, heading into the city in search of the school. He had been having fun with his powers up until now, but seeing what they were willing to do to Tom just because he happened to be close to him, he now knew that there was so much more to this than he knew, and perhaps it was time to hear from those that knew what they were doing.

Back on the Warrior Dome, Ripcon was in the infirmary, getting fixed up after his battle. Wrench was with him, having dragged him out of the battle. Ripcon glared hatefully at the cyborg. He didn't know what was worse, the fact that he was close to defeat, or the fact that Wrench had saved him. He'd almost have preferred being destroyed to knowing that he owed Wrench his life.

Cosmo, Odious and Galvinax came into the room as the physician finished looking him over. He looked to Cosmo, who seemed to be waiting to hear on the condition of the warrior.

"He'll be fine shortly." The physician told them. "He should rest up; regain some of his power..."

"Oh, believe me, he will." Cosmo stated, reaching into his coat and pulling out a stack of cash, handing it to the physician as a significant bonus. "Thank you for your hard work."

As the physician left, Ripcon could hear a low, rumbling growl coming from Galvinax. He knew he was in trouble. He had promised the Gold Ranger, he had promised answers on how the Gold Ranger was able to access the ship, and yet here he was, not only empty-handed, but in the infirmary having only narrowly been saved from death.

"Champ, I..."

"Save your excuses Ripcon!" Galvinax interrupted him harshly. "You promised me the Gold Ranger. You told me you knew who he was..."

"I got the wrong human!" Ripcon rushed out. "They...they all look the same to me..."

"Even YOU can't be THAT ignorant!" Cosmo laughed as he looked to Ripcon, seemingly enjoying his suffering. "If it wasn't for the fact I've still got programming potential in you, I'd have let the Gold Ranger finish you off. No one dies on my show...not for free anyway!"

"Champ, I know which one is the Gold Ranger now!" Ripcon pleaded.

"Yes, and now he's joined the other Rangers!" Galvinax roared, grabbing him by his one remaining horn. "If you fail me one more time, I'll snap off your other horn!"

With that, he stormed out of the room. Odious started stroking her chin as she looked to him thoughtfully.

"You know, it's funny how you made such a mistake about the Gold Ranger. Why, the one you chose didn't look even remotely like him." Odious mused. "It's almost like you don't WANT to find the traitor."

She moved a little closer.

"Perhaps the reason you can't find the traitor is because you ARE the traitor." She suggested.

"WHAT!" Ripcon screamed as she left. "You can't...How dare...Come back here!"

He followed her, irate at her accusation, which he was sure she would probably be spreading around the ship. Cosmo held back with Wrench for a moment.

"So, the Pink Ranger...she seemed to know you." Cosmo said as he looked to him.

"Um...yes, I never got much of a good look at her before." Wrench responded uncomfortably. "She was with the last team."

"Wait, she was a Ranger?" Cosmo asked him. Wrench shook his head.

"No, no nothing like that!" Wrench protested. "She was just...there. She was more of a glorified cheerleader than anything else."

"And now she knows you're here." Cosmo said, drumming his fingers on his chin thoughtfully. "The Gold Ranger wants Ripcon, The Red Ranger wants Ripcon, Ripcon wants both of them...and you and the Pink Ranger...my boy, for a free broadcast, this has given me writing material for weeks!"

"It...it has?" Wrench asked nervously, unable to help noticing the fact that he was in the thought processes Cosmo was spit balling. Cosmo just patted him on the shoulder.

"You did me a solid pulling Ripcon out of there." Cosmo told him. "Don't think I'll forget that!"

As he left, Wrench just sat on the table and held his head in his hands.

"That's what I'm afraid of." Wrench muttered.