Slowly Ray came to, blurred vision clearing as his foggy head pounded. He could feel the cold concrete against his back, hardness increasing as the sensation returned across his body and a blankly stared at the darkening ceiling. A strange tingle flushed across his skin like his entire body had fallen asleep along with his limbs. But it was also fading.
Despite the throbbing protests of his body, Ray slowly pulled himself up, looking around to see the others do the same.
"Ben, why did you think this was a good idea?" Hilary groaned.
"Hey," her brother protested. "You followed me in."
"Guys, should we talk to the council or something?" Asked Jake. "You know, tell them that there's some dangerous equipment just lying around?"
"And let them know that we were trespassing," Johnny pointed out, "Great idea."
"They probably picked up power fluctuations on the electricity grid," Hilary reasoned. "For all we know, they're sending some officials over right now."
Ray wasn't so sure. The machine, whatever it was, still sat there. It was dormant again, the screen blank once more, and the flickering light that had once drawn them in had dulled to a dim glow as whisps of smoke sizzled out from the wires of the machine. Dangerous and faulty were the right words, and Ray's immediate thought was to get as far away from it as possible.
He was just about to voice the suggestion when a sudden voice sounded behind them.
"Give us the Digitizer!"
There was something about it that jolted Ray's nerves; a dispassionate delivery that buzzed like an old speaker. As the gang spun around, they saw why. Their adornments looked more like armor than clothing, strange plates of orange with a silver underlayer. Their faces too were completely covered, eyes more like glowing yellow orbs than while metal grill covered their mouths. As they moved, Ray could hear the soft sound of whirring beneath their joints. Whoever they were, they looked the furthest thing from friendly.
But the others thought otherwise.
"See guys," Jake decided confidently, already striding over to the new arrivals. "Hilary said they'd send someone over."
"Ah Jake, I don't think that they're…"
"Sure, they are. They must have been expecting it with all this protective gear. Hi there, council worker sir, there appears to be a misunderstanding. You see me and my friends here-"
And then the creature's arm lashed out and punched him.
Without a warning, the metal fist snapped into Jake's chest. The teen's eyes bulged as the force flung him from his feet, tossing him across the room to land with a thud before his friends. Ray and the others darted to his side, helping up the groaning team as they looked on at the newcomers in fear.
The strength of the blow, the rigidity of movements. Whoever they were, they weren't people.
They were machines.
"Okay, they're defiantly not friendly." Ray decided.
One stepped forward, pointing at the device behind them as they huddled tighter. "Hand us the Digitizer or suffer the consequences!"
As the five the group pulled Jake to their feet, flinching back as the large group moved closer, Ray shot a look at the machine. That gut instinct that had told him to steer clear of the factory was now telling him to run, take off as fast as he could, and he wasn't in the mood to argue.
And yet, he hesitated.
Whatever this thing was, it was dangerous. And so were the figures in front of them. Something told him that letting them take it was a really bad idea, that the two things together were a perilous combination. But the numbers were well against them. Five to one; not good odds. If his friends were going to get out, then he needed to even their chance. Even if it was only a little. He needed to make a play, and he needed it to count.
Then he stepped forward, standing between the robots and his friends.
"Guys," he told them. "Grab that thing on the machine and run. I'll try to hold them off."
Hilary was having none of it.
"Ray, there's too many of them," she insisted, eyes looking cautious beyond him at the encroaching numbers. Her tone was sharp, almost scolding him for the idea, but her wavering in her blue eyes told a different story. She was scared. "You're good but-"
"It's the best plan we've got, okay?" Ray cut her off. "I don't know what's going on here, but I don't think we can let them get their hands on… whatever this thing is."
The others looked like they were going to argue, but one sharp look silenced them. They'd known him long enough to know when his mind was set, trusted him enough to know he'd thought it through. One look was all he needed to show them how serious he was.
His fear for their safety; for what would happen if he didn't do something to help them escape.
"You'll have a better shot if you've got some help," Johnny decided, stepping out of the group to stand beside him. "I've got your back."
In seeing the long-haired teen shift closer, the robots snapped into a guard, fists aggressively curled like they were ready to strike. A warning.
The only one they were going to get.
"We will not ask again," the robot droned. "Hand over the Digitizer!"
"Guys," Ray pleaded. "Take it and run. Run and don't stop. I'll be okay."
For a moment they paused, frozen in uncertain fear. Jake still looked shocked, rubbing the spot where the blow had struck him, while beside him Ben looked like he was twitching to jump to Ray's side. Hilary's head was shaking, not for herself but for him. But all three knew he was right.
They couldn't let those things get to that device.
In reluctant agreement, all three slowly nodded. Then they backed toward the exit as Ray and Johnny took another defiant step toward the robots.
"Stay where you are!" one of them ordered. "No sudden movements!"
Ben had stepped back to the machine, hands raised in the air as he pressed up against it.
"Okay," Ben repeated cautiously. "No sudden movements. Like… THIS?"
He whipped around, hands snatching the device and yanking it free. Then the creatures lunged.
Johnny and Ray got to some of them first, vaulting between the creatures and their friends in a desperate bid to stop them. He shifted his stance, guarding up as the creatures engaged, punches flying as his arms parried blow after blow.
He counted the numbers, and his heart sank. Seven had focused on him, and a similar number had descended on Johnny. He just had to pray he'd attracted off enough for the others to get away.
But his friends were now the least of his worries.
Pushing up the pressure, Ray spun and repositioned, kicking one back while striking another. Keep on the move, light on the feet. Stop them pinning him down and try to take them one at a time. Bouncing on his toes, he weaved between, almost dancing to avoid their strikes and positioned between them.
Gravity left him before he felt the blow, his legs swept from beneath him and dropped him onto the concrete. Flat on his back, Ray's eyes widened as he watched a foot soaring down onto his face.
He didn't think, he moved. His arm lashed out, battering the foot away as he rolled. Down low, the robots were reaching down, and Ray used the awkward distance in a desperate attempt to get away. As the robot's arms jutted down, his leg shot out. It swept around, catching beneath the leg and clattering them across the ground as Ray took the chance to stand up.
But even as the ones he'd tripped were struggling to stand, others were closing in.
Time to change tactics; the best defense was a good offense.
He charged, jabbing at the faces his leg snapped out and planted into the chests. As the two stumbled back, two more came in; moving wide to let their numbers put pressure on his countering defense.
Block.
Counter.
Strike.
Repeat.
But it wasn't enough. Finally, one found a gap, a metal fist plunging into his stomach and expelling the pent-up air. As Ray wheezed a desperate gasp, a pair of hands seized him, hands snatching at his clothes to hold him in a vice grip.
They had him.
With all his might he struggled, desperate to pull himself free as another creature stepped toward him. Ray's eyes widened in horror as he saw what was in its hand; a weapon. A large sliver of metal, like an oversized sword, its sharp tip glinting in the moonlight. And it was raised high and ready to be brought down on Ray.
His heart was pounding, breathing tightening. He wrestled again, determined to shake his captors and not give in to their grip. He was pinned and helpless, the perfect target for the sharp blade coming for him.
But all he could think about were his friends. Please! he begged silently, please have made it out!
The tingling was returning, rushing to his head to accompany his tightened breath. It grew and grew, sizzling beneath his skin as it drew into his face to concentrate around his eyes. It was almost overwhelming, too much to handle and overridden only by his pounding heart as he watched the blade slice through the air and plunge towards his stomach.
Then his vision turned red.
The flash was short, barely an instant, as the awesome sensation felt like it was expelling from his body through his eyes.
Then, to his shock, the armed creature was lying on the ground with smoke rising from its chest. The other creatures stumbled back, staring between Ray, each other, and their smoking comrade in complete bewilderment at what had happened.
Bewilderment that loosened their grip.
Ray snapped out his arm, yanking it free before striking the other one at his side. Pivoting on an axis, he planted his heel into the group with all his strength, the kick pummeling into the closet chest and knocking them back like skittles.
With a moment to breathe, he looked at Johnny, but all he could see was a blur that dashed between the creatures.
Hang on; that blur was Johnny!
His memory flashed to the sensation around his eyes, the tingling sensation already returning. But the robots were already rising, returning their feet to take him from all sides.
Whatever impossibility he was experiencing, he could work it out later.
All right, let's give this a shot.
The feeling growing, he stared at the remaining creatures, the sensation coursing through him to funnel to his eyes once more. As the robots lunged to engage, his vision narrowed, willing the power to amass at his eyes and unleashed once more.
And to his astonishment, it listened.
Again he saw the flash of red, blasting back on of the creatures. Then he tried on another, and another. Summoning a barrage that seared into and blew them all to the floor.
Then it stopped as quickly as it had started, and Ray stared at their steaming armor gasping.
Whoah! He realized, Johnny's black blur skidding to a stop beside him.
I can… I can shoot lasers from my eyes!
For all Ray's efforts to keep the creatures busy, plenty had rushed out after them. Ben had made it as far as the door but by the time he'd forced it open the things were already on them. Ben's heart sank.
Ray had stayed behind to make sure they kept this thing away. They owed him to make sure that happened.
Jake was ahead, and Ben thought fast.
"Go long!"
Before even checking his friend was ready, he then hurled the thing as far as he could. Just in time. Had Jake been anything other than the school's star Running Back, he wouldn't have made it. Instead, he dived, arms outstretched the grab the metal box before snapping to his feet and continuing his stride.
Just as the creatures jumped on Ben and Hilary.
As more surged past in pursuit of Jake, the twins were hurled backward, slammed against the wall as the robots enclosed to circle them. Scrambling to their feet, the twins pushed back to back as the robots menacingly closed around them. Ben's eyes flicked to all sides, feeling Hilary's panicked breathing against his back moved in tighter and pressed them closer together.
They were surrounded. Ray had given all he could to get them out, and they'd barely made it out the door. And now they were going to be pummeled. As a robot stepped towards them, first raised for the strike, Ben squeezed his eyes and braced himself for the beating.
Then his body moved on its own.
It was like something had taken control, commanded his limbs to shift in the perfect position. His forearm snapped upward, colliding with the blow with the strength of iron. As the arms connected, Ben opened his eyes, gasping to see the robot's strike in hanging midair. Held in place by him!
But he didn't have time to celebrate.
The creature stumbled back as he threw it off, only for two more to take its place. And just like before, it was as if Ben's mind was no longer in control as his body took over.
He jumped towards them, punching the first before leaping into to kick out at the two coming up the sides. As the robots faltered, Ben caught sharp movement to his right. As a robot lunged at Hilary, his sister lashed to grab the blow, and as she tossed it away she flipped into a cartwheel. His sister! Cartwheeling!
Ben spun, ducking beneath another below before grabbing the outstretched arm and hurling it over his body. The creature spun in the air as it hit the ground thud, clattering against the ground as at last Ben saw an opening to run.
But the robots weren't done with him yet.
As he made a break one of them snatched his shirt, yanking him back to pull his shoulders in their grip. Ben lashed out, struggling desperately at the grabbing hands as another robot lunged to pin his ankles.
Their grips were like iron, too strong to hope for freedom, and all Ben could do was brace for their intentions. With a long windup, they tossed him, sending him soaring into the night and straight into a nearby lamppost.
He outstretched his arms without thinking, hoping in vain to soften the crash. Then, as his hands hit metal and gripped on instinct, Ben kept going. His body soared past, only for his hands to brace and spin him around. Swinging wildly, he careered around the post, tucking in his legs and planting them. He'd only hoped to slow himself down; not to stop completely!
Now as his feet snapped firm to the post, Ben could only gawk as he looked back to the equally confused attackers. At the strange angle they were standing at…
That he was standing at! He hadn't just slowed himself on the post, he was standing on it, now a complete ninety degrees to the ground!
"Surprised? Well, so am I."
They lunged at him again, but all he had to do was shift his foot. Spinning upwards, his feet danced up the pole, the robot instead clanging face fist into the pole as the strike glided harmlessly beneath him.
Finally safe, at least for now, Ben used his new vantage to look for his friends. Jake was running, using all his football training to keep up the pace as he shrugged off blow after blow from the determined grabbing robots. But in all his hurry, Jake was too focused on the robots he was dodging, and not enough on the ground where he was stepping. As he ducked to avoid a lunging robot, his sneaker caught a crack of protruding concrete. Ben could only helplessly gasp as he watched his friend tumble.
"Jake!"
Jake hit the ground and skidded forward; the device clutched tightly as the robots descended. With nothing to do, and the attackers closing in, the Running Back spun in desperation with a flying hand to block.
And it blasted the robots back.
A powerful wave of force erupted from Jake's palm, rippling through the air in a cacophonous blast. The whelming air battered backward, catching the pursuing robots and smashing them high. From where he lay, Jake could stare in wide-eyed shock at where the things that had been chasing him slapped to the cement far from him.
Then a hand snatched at Ben's leg.
His hand snapped to the post, flipping around for a powerful kick that cracked into the robot's face to send it hurtling to the ground. Another reached, but Ben was already rolling, lurching up his post like a flat surface, before gripping it tightly and spinning around to plant both feet into the chest.
He was starting to get the hang of it!
And yet more were coming.
"How many are there?" he groaned, only to realize a change in how the robots were moving.
They weren't running at him; they were running from something. A second later he saw what it was, as a figure barreled through their line, shattering their defenses the like ball through lined up skittled.
A second later, Hilary skidded to a stop at the foot of his lamppost. Had it not been for everything else that had happened, Ben simply would never have believed what he saw.
Her skin was shiny and metallic. One brave attacker rushed toward them, only for Hilary to lash back and grasp it by the throat. The feet kicked helplessly as she lifted it high, the hands desperately slapping to unseal the grip before Hilary hurled it back. The robot went careening across the yard like it had been slammed by a truck, crashing in a heap before its comrades.
Looking at him, her eyes widened.
"What's going on with you?" she demanded, almost a shriek with surprise.
"Never mind me, what's going on with you?"
"I… I don't know!"
There was whirring coming where the creatures had fallen, and as the twin looked in that direction they saw their pursuers groggily rising to their feet. So, they wanted more, huh?
Ben dropped to the ground with a grin, and the two of them turned to face the returning robots. They were ready for more, and the creatures knew it. And instead of charging in, they ran.
With a flick of her hair, the metal seemed to recede into Hilary's skin, her appearance returned to normal. Ray and Johnny were already running from the building, hurrying toward them while Jake was climbing to his feet and watching the fleeing creatures. As the robots limped away, a strange emerald light began to envelop them. The glowing grew and grew, building into a flash.
And then they were gone.
For a moment there was silence, an eerie waiting as all of them braced for more. But nothing came. They were alone. Collectively they released a desperate gasp of relief, the adrenaline starting to crash the five nearly buckled over at the weight of what they'd just experienced.
"What… just happened?" Jake demanded.
"Never mind what happened," said Johnny. "What were those things?"
"They're called Byte-Bots."
The voice came from behind them.
The five spun around, hands snapping up in immediate defense. But it didn't come from robots, it came from a man.
He stood beneath the broken streetlight, shadows looming behind him as he cautiously stepped towards them. A pair of rectangular spectacles rested on the edge of his nose, and although ben guessed he couldn't have been older than forty, peaking grey steaks combed through his sandy curly hair above his ears. His clothes were well-fitted but crumpled, like they'd been thrown in a suitcase and pulled out just as quickly. His deep brown eyes stared at them cautiously, scanning them from top to bottom in assessment.
Uncertain whether they were friends or foes.
Right now, the teens were wondering the same.
"Who are you?" asked Ray, placing himself before the others as the man stepped back.
The man's eyes darted to the side, eying the few remains of robot limbs, broken off and discarded as their owners had fled. Having clearly decided it was evidence enough, for the time being at least, he raised his hands in calm surrender as he announced himself to the group.
"My name is Dr. Julian Benson," he explained, before motioning away from the warehouse. "Those Byte-Bots might have retreated, but they'll be back; we'd better get somewhere safe before they do."
He didn't take them far, leading to the other edge of the district and another large, open warehouse. This one at least wasn't crumbling, and as they walked past, Ray noticed a few crates and containers stacked up near the other buildings. This area, at least, remained in use.
Still, trading one creepy building for another wasn't doing much to ease Ray's suspicions. Those Byte-Bots had appeared out of nowhere, and he couldn't help but feel cautious about the sudden appearance of this newcomer. For all he knew, this Benson was in league with the robots, luring them into a trap while they thought they were safe.
At worst, a little extra caution wasn't going to hurt. Not after the night they'd been having.
Benson rolled up the door and beckoned the teenagers to follow, stepping into the darkness of the warehouse almost immediately.
"Step into my parlor…" Ray muttered.
"Yeah, said the spider to the fly," Hilary agreed. Her hand had crept its way to his arm, and whilst she wasn't squeezing her grip was firm. Then, sticking close together, the five of them bravely breathed in deeply and crossed over the threshold.
It was mostly empty, save for a long desk littered with computers, cables, and monitors. In the corner were a set of roughly carpentered stairs that lead into an elevated loft. Benson had already moved to the desk, and as the teens stepped further in their mouths dropped as they stared at a large metal container, eerily similar to the one that burst with light mere minutes earlier. Entered, the teens began to spread out, slowly surrounding the desk in their impatience for an answer.
"Before we began," Benson told them, "I need you to hand me the Digitizer."
"We've heard that before," Johnny scoffed.
"Yeah, that's not going to happen," Ray agreed emphatically. His weight was already shifting on instinct, falling into a waiting, defensive stance. After everything they'd just gone through to hold onto it, they were not going to just give it up.
Not that easily.
"Guys, I'm not going to fight you for it," Benson assured, hands raised in surrender. "For starters I can't imagine it'd go well for me, judging from how you're standing. That and the pile of broken Byte-Bots back there."
Ray's eyes narrowed as he reexamined the man in front of him. He'd fought enough competitions to know never to underestimate an opponent, but he was right. There were more of them than him. And he wasn't standing like someone who knew how to carry themselves.
But as Ray stared with continued suspicion, another thought occurred to him. What were they going to do with it? They had no idea what it was, and he doubted that anyone else he knew in the city would have a clue either. Short of hiding it under one of their beds, they didn't have many other options.
Benson was giving them space, and not acting aggressively. That at least put him above the robots that they'd fought outside.
Tentatively, Ray nodded to Jake. "It's okay; I don't think he's going to try anything."
While hesitant, Jake slowly stepped forward and handed over the device. Benson wasn't eager, keenly aware of the five sets of eyes that were watching him like a hawk. Then, taking the device, he walked over to a giant machine and plugged it in. Suddenly there was whirring, as one by one rows of lights flickered to life. The little screen that once beeped its warning to the teenagers once again hummed to life, only this time it gave no sign of imminent doom. Satisfied, Benson stepped away and turned his attention to the series of monitors.
"What even is that thing?" asked Johnny
"The device you gave me is called a Digitizer; it's the interface for this machine." He pointed towards a strange-looking computer. "While this big thing I plugged it into basically one giant transformer, providing it with power."
"Sure," Hilary nodded, unable to disguise her skepticism. "But what does that all mean? What does it do?"
But it was then that Benson shook his head. "Believe me, for your own sake, you want to stay out of this. The less mixed up in this you get, the better."
The five teens stared at him, mouths agape. He'd barely finished convincing them to hand to the device they'd fought so hard to keep, and already he was stonewalling them. After what they had just done, he was telling them to get out? One by one the group shot a Ray look, each uncertain of what to do. They wanted answers, but at the same Benson's warning didn't sound like a threat.
It sounded like a concern; like fear.
"I'm sorry that you got mixed up in this, I really am," Benson insisted. "And I know you want answers but believe me if you get out now, then you can't get hurt. The best thing for all of you is to forget any of this ever happened."
Beside him, Johnny's fists were clenched and teeth grinding. Hilary looked like she was holding back an angry string of words that would usually be reserved for her brother. Both Jake and Ben looked almost ready to pounce, to lunge at the device and strip off the Digitizer just as they had before.
Ray didn't blame them; but what would it get them?
"I get you don't want us involved," said Ben, "but what about-?"
Ray shot a look, a warning, one that was shared by the others.
Not here, not now.
Benson didn't seem to want to talk, and in trusting him they'd given up their one bargaining chip. No sense asking questions if they weren't going to get answers. And not a good idea to reveal any more to someone they possibly couldn't trust.
"Once again, thank you for saving the digitizer," Benson said sincerely. "And I mean this as nicely as I can put it; I hope we never meet again."
Dour, angry, and confused, the teens just sighed and walked out the door, leaving Benson to his computers. It was only when they made it around the corner and out of earshot that Ben spoke up again.
"Am I the only one that wants to figure out what's going on with these powers? I mean, I can't be the only one that saw what happened back there, right?"
"Dude, weird devices, shady warehouses, and superpowers?" Jake reasoned. "Seems like a great way to have government agents drag from our bedrooms to some top-secret base in Nevada."
"You read too many comic books."
"And sci-fi movies," Hilary pointed out, "but I'm with Jake on this."
"If he's not even willing to tell us what's going on, how could we trust him?" Johnny agreed.
Ben looked to Ray as if the words he'd say could override the other's thoughts, a quick statement to change their mind. But he couldn't do that, even if he wanted to.
And in this case, he didn't.
"We know where to find him," he told the others, "but right now Johnny's right; if he's being cagey we can't trust him. So, let's take his advice for now. Maybe we'll all wake up and find out it's some crazy dream."
But even as he said it, doubt niggled at the back of his mind, he could tell from their expressions that it was for his friends as well. But whatever their disappointment, they cast it aside as they wandered back toward to edge of the factory district.
Back toward normal.
He hoped.
"So, it appears that your Byte-Bots failed, Kelgar."
Gideon's voice a dark and snarling, glowering from his throne to look down upon the shriveling minion. The shelled reptile was kneeling, quivering before his master's feet, knowing full well what was coming. The full fury of his wrath.
"It wasn't my fault!" he bleated. "There was resistance! I didn't know that some teenagers were going to be able to stop them!"
"Excuses!"
In a blink he'd descended from the throne, soaring down the steps to be right in Kelgar's as he swung. The fist struck him across the jaw, sending the creature hurling backward and crashing into the room's far wall.
As the whimpering Kelgar slowly staggered his knees, Gideon continued to seethe. He'd hoped that would make him feel better; it hadn't. Having been unable to quell his sour mood, their master re-ascended the steps and resumed his seat.
"My lord if I may?" enquired a voice from shadows. From the floor, Kelgar shot it a withering glare, reason enough to entertain to suggestion even if he weren't looking for options.
"Go ahead, Cyrax."
"Whatever this resistance that the Byte-Bots encountered is, I would like to measure it myself. I would like you to give me a chance to see if they could become a threat."
"Is that all?"
"No. If they are inexperienced, which I believe they are, then my attack could provide an opportunity. You're still seeking your enemy; this could be our chance to flush him out. Scare the mice and watch them run to safety."
The man on the throne slowly nodded as he digested his servant's plan. It was a good one; either Cyrax would destroy this new resistance, or it would lead them to his prize. A sinister smile split across Gideon's in agreement.
He knew it was a good idea to bring Cyrax on board.
"All right Cyrax, I will allow it."
"Thank you, my lord, I will prepare at once."
The doors hissed as the figure left, and the master returned his attention to the quivering figure on the ground.
"It appears you may have a chance to redeem yourself, Kelgar," he sneered.
"Yes, Master, of course, Master!" Kelgar groveled, almost scampering to resume his kneeling at the foot of steps in a pitiful attempt to regain favor. "What would you have me do? You wish is my command!"
"Make me a virus, a powerful one," Gideon ordered. Then, with a plan forming in his mind, he looked out upon the darkened clouds. The shadows concealed him and loomed above the city. "We're going to give our old friend Dr. Benson a little visit…"
To be Continued…
NEXT TIME- Reeling from the events of the previous night, the teens do their very best to put the strange experience behind them. But their enemy has other ideas, and our heroes discover that their dangers are far from over. Will their newfound powers be enough to save them? Can truly trust the mysterious Dr. Benson? What plans does the menacing Gideon have for Cranston City?
Find out next time on
POWER RANGERS- DATA SQUAD
Boot the System- Part 2
A/N: Power Ranger: Data Squad is a story that is very dear to my heart. I first wrote it in 2009, spending my weekends in the library during my senior year when I should have been studying for exams. I'd rediscovered my love of Power Rangers a few years earlier, had been daydreaming of my own unique team and what they would be like for almost as long, and last had decided to bite the bullet and write it all down.
To this day, it is one of the best decisions I ever made.
I began with a lot of bad practices common to young, early fanfic writers (no betas, no editing; posting the second the first draft was finished) but I can earnestly say that in many ways writing the original fic made me who I am today. I spent months of my spare time living the adventures of Ray, Hilary, Ben, Jake & Johnny like they were best friends beside me. I didn't quite mean for the end of the story to line up with the end of my own schooling journey, but it helped add a special sense of grandeur to what most people would agree to be a pivotal moment in their lives.
For a long time, it was the only work I'd ever finished. I tried writing others but could never recapture that same sense of excitement and wonder that I'd felt with Data Squad. In time I began dabbling in original fiction, helping me refine my writing and my editing process to create other works that I'm truly proud of.
And somehow, I wound up back here.
What at first started as a nostalgic reread turned into minor edits and then major before finally whole stretches of rewrites. And now, in many ways, Power Rangers Data Squad is the full story that I'd first imagined all those years ago.
So, for those that have made it this far, welcome. Please feel free to put the story (or me) on your alert list and drop a kind review if you have time.
If by some magical happenstance, you happen to be one of my thirty original readers from back in the day, know that back then it was you who kept me going. And it's because of you that I've gone back in hopes of making what you saw it in.
