While Benson had suggested taking a seat, the spartan decoration of the warehouse made the options rather limited. Jake and Hilary took the only two other chairs available, while Ben made do by sitting cross-legged on the floor. Johnny lent against the desk; posture relaxed but alert. Behind them, Ray stood with his arms folded and watching Benson suspiciously. Far from the cagy, confident speaker, that they'd met the night before, the man now breathed heavily, eyes nervously filtering from side to side as he collected his thoughts and prepared to retell his tale.
"About four years ago," he said. "I was involved in a military project aimed at inventing ways to easily store equipment. Through trial and error, we discovered a way to convert the matter of an object's physical mass into raw data, store it, then safely reconstruct it later, in another location."
"That's amazing" Hilary realized. "The calculations and data storage for that must have been insane. I mean, even something small and basic would have to be terabytes and terabytes of data."
Benson nodded.
"It wasn't easy, but eventually we hit the breakthrough we needed," he agreed. "In our research, we stumbled upon a type of energy field, a kind of grid that surrounds and permeates the entire world. Tapping into it, we were able to harness that energy and channel it into our equipment, and before long we were deconstructing everything from soccer balls to tanks. By and large, Project Digitizer was an amazing success."
There was a but coming, Ray could just tell. There was no way that the man standing before them was rolling in the riches of a world-changing invention. But Jake beat him to the question before he could ask.
"If it was all going so well, what happened?"
"With the first stage so successful, some people began to wonder if the reverse was possible as well. Create an object through a computer, and then use the same device to bring it into reality. In the end, it was only a matter of time before people began getting ideas, of what the true potential of this technology could be. If it could be used to create, could it be also used to also edit? Change? The military deemed any further experimentation unethical, but that didn't stop people from trying. And one man, in particular, was determined to make it all work."
A dark shadow folded over his brow as he recollected those times.
"His name was Gideon," he said. "He and I worked on the initial designs together, and soon he became obsessed with its potential. He claimed that it would bring about the next stage in human evolution. Even after we were forbidden from experimenting, he continued to work on it, sneaking in after hours to conduct experiments. By the time the higher-ups and I had figured out what he was doing, it was far too late. He convinced one of the other researchers to try it out, a human guinea pig. The device turned him into a hideous monster, his mind bent to serve Gideon's will. A slave."
Hilary gasped and Jake tensed up, and Ray's eyes widened as true ramifications hit him with realization. That warrior that they'd fought, they were a… slave?
"With his experiment complete," Benson continued. "Gideon turned the device on himself, gaining immense power. And then nothing could stand in their way. The two trashed the base, seizing all prototype equipment they could get their claws on while the researchers fled. Then, with the remnants of the research station nothing but rubble and ash, he and his minion vanished. After that, the project got shut down, and no one's been able to find Gideon since."
A somber silence slowly settled within the room, the five teens uncertain of what to say. Whatever they'd been expecting, it hadn't been that,
"That's awful," said Hilary softly. "To have all your life's work just… gone."
"Not all of it," Benson admitted. "We managed to secure one of the prototypes, the device that you found last night. An associate of mine took it, hoping to keep it safe. The plan was that he'd find a safe place to set it all up and then we could restart work on the project. But he disappeared before he could tell me where he'd set up. The last thing I heard from him was that he was here in Cranston City."
"So, what has this got to do with us?" Johnny asked impatiently.
"I'd managed to track down the Digitizer to where it was hidden, but Gideon was looking for it too. He must have found a way to hack into its frequency to trigger it remotely. He actively its failsafe purge protocol, basically forcing it to vent all its excess digital energy. Gideon would have used the power fluctuation to pinpoint its location, to beat me to it."
"He did," Ben realized. "That must be why those robot things dropped down so quickly."
Hilary gasped, hand shooting to her mouth as the reality dawned on all of them, "If we hadn't been there…!"
But their luck in preventing Gideon from obtaining the device was the last thing on Ray's mind. Instead, the events that had led them into the factory kept looping in his mind. "That was the blast, wasn't it? It counted down to a pulse and then knocked us to the ground."
Benson nodded. "Your bodies absorbed that digital energy as it was released from the device. It must have altered your physiology, down to your DNA; that's what's giving you your powers."
"So, we're like the X-men?" Jake suggested.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that."
But something was still bothering him, a problem that had been swirling in his mind since they arrived. The backstory and their powers, at last, had an explanation. But Benson still hadn't addressed their most pressing of concerns.
"What does he want with us?" he asked. "Why do our powers lead to him attacking us outside of school?"
And then an alarm began to blare.
It stabbed at Ray's heart, stunned by the jolting shrill as Benson's eyes snapped wide. With teens staring helplessly around in the confusion, he dived for the computer to punch frantically at the keys.
"No!" he breathed, cutting the alarm as the remnants of sharp ringing echoed off the cavernous walls. "No, no, no, no!"
The screens all lit up, revealing camera footage of the area around the warehouse. And as they stared at the monitors, the kid's hearts sank at the sight.
Cyrax.
Byte-bots.
And a strange, monstrous creature that looked like an armored lizard with a cat's head sliced onto the neck.
"He wasn't after us at all," Ray gasped. "He wanted us to lead back to you."
"We can handle it," Johnny decided. "We've taken these clowns before, we can do it again."
"Yeah?" said Benson, pointing to the horrifying creature. He didn't even look up, fingers frantically typing away as he wheeled between the monitors. "Did you deal with one of those too?"
"What even is that thing?" asked Hilary, disgust seeping into her voice to blend with her abject terror.
"It's a computer virus," answered Benson. "Looks like Gideon's figured out a few tricks with his own Digitizer. And if they're here for mine, it means they know what I can do with it."
"And what even is that?" demanded Ray. "If Gideon's already got one of those Digitizer things, why does he care so much about you having one too?"
The question seemed to stop Benson in his tracks, back shooting upright as if a switch had flicked on his head.
"Because if I've got a Digitizer of my own," he said, "then I can stop him."
Before Ray or the others could enquire further, Benson twirled in his seat between the computers, flicking on more monitors as line upon lines of codes began trawling up the screens. A man on a mission, and the message was clear; any other questions would have to wait.
"I can put up an electromagnetic field," he told them. "It'll work like a firewall keeping out hostile, unwanted files. Once it's going, they won't be able to get inside, but the program needs time to fire up. And that means I'm going to need your help."
"And how are we exactly meant to do that?" asked Jak. "You just said we couldn't handle that weird virus thing!"
But Benson didn't say anything, instead reaching beneath the desk to produce a large metal briefcase and place it flat before them.
"That's true," Benson admitted, clicking open the latches and spinning the case around. "Right now, you wouldn't stand a chance, even you're your new powers. But that's why I'm giving you these."
The five of them gathered around, and even in complete obliviousness none of them could help but gasp. Inside there were five small devices, each one a different color: red, blue, yellow, black, and green.
Each one looked a bit like a radio, palm-sized and lined with white trim; a central circular button sitting just beneath the rectangular screen. But as Ray stared at the device before him, a sense of awe, of amazement overcame him. He had no idea what they were, but there was something about them, a strange power emanating from the case.
Ray cast a glance at his friends, all of them staring at the devices with the same strange curiosity and admiration. He could feel his hand moving on its own, wanting to reach up and claim it. Like it called to him.
But he'd had enough of getting close to strange devices without asking more questions. Ray looked up to Benson, whose eyes were now looking at them pleadingly. "What are these?"
"These are the prototype Data Morphers," Benson explained. "Once activated, they will transform you into Power Rangers."
Their jaws dropped in unison.
"P… Power Rangers?" Ben stammered.
"That's right."
"Wait, you said prototype? As in for testing?" Hilary demanded. "As in, might not work?"
"I know," Benson admitted. "But I think they will work for you guys; you guys are the lynchpin that we were missing in the original development. The pulse didn't just change your bodies, it formed a kind of bio-digital field around them. That's what these powers need to work. That's why they haven't worked before. They're already based on the digitizing concept I designed, so I think I've figured out all the glitches."
"But there could still be some?" Johnny finished, reading between the lines.
Benson looked at them all, the case still sitting open and waiting. Waiting for them.
"Look, guys, I know this is a lot to take in. And I know I didn't want to get you involved at first; but right now, it looks like there's no other choice. You're the only ones who can use these powers. You might all feel small and insignificant in such a big world, but now you're its only hope. You're my only hope."
Ray stared at Morphers before him, the reality of their situation swirling in his mind. Wrong place, wrong time, and now they had an army of killer robots at their doorstep. Benson said they'd work, but Johnny was right; there could easily be a glitch he didn't know about. And Benson had also said they'd never worked before. It could all so easily fall apart the moment they stepped outside.
But then he cast his gaze to the monitor. Cyrax, the Byte-Bots, and that weird virus thing were nearly at the building. In moments, whether the Morphers worked or not wouldn't matter. It was the only shot they had.
Breathing in for resolve, he looked over at his friends and nodded in determination.
"Let's do this," he decided. He reached in, snatching up a device without even looking. And then he strode toward the door. Beside him, the others did the same, each grabbing a Morpher and following.
"You only need to hold them for ten minutes!" Benson called behind them. "Once I get the shield up, they won't be able to get in and you can safely pull back in here."
But as Ray and the others made for the door, a terrible thought shuttered across his mind; that still relied on them lasting that long.
In a line of five, the teens strode out of the building, side by side in a desperate bid to bolster their confidence. By the time they stepped into the cold evening air, the wall of Byte-Bots was practically at the door. Cyrax stood in front with his strange creation, eager to give the order.
Their enemy hadn't seen them yet, but a few short seconds and it wouldn't matter.
"Destroy all inside," Cyrax commanded, voice curling from within his helmet. The Byte-Bots raised their weapons, primed and ready for the carnage to come.
Showtime.
With a deep breath, Ray's eyes narrowed as the energy gathered around his vision. The world flashed red, twin beams blasting out and sparking into one of the frontward bots. The forces stopped, pausing in confusion as they stared at their lone compatriot sprawled across the ground.
With their enemy faltered, the teens took their last moment, steeling their nerves and summoning every ounce of their courage. And then they ran out into the open, forming a line to stand side-by-side in the ultimate gesture of solidarity and defiance.
Cyrax looked up from the fallen Byte-Bot, before almost lazily gazing upon the teenagers' final stand. And then he took a step forward, just one; a warning he was unimpressed by their guile. If anything, he seemed to welcome it.
"Fools," he scoffed, a menacing chuckle rumbling beneath his voice. "Do you really think that you can stop the plans of the mighty Gideon?"
"Maybe not," Ray called back, "But we offered you a round two; it'd be rude not to give it to you."
He looked down at the Morpher in his hands, gripping the red device like a lifeline. Hilary stood by his side, knuckles white around her own Yellow Morpher, while Ben stood at his left with the Blue. Green Morpher in hand, Jake cast him a look, while Johnny held Black Morpher with an expression that said the same; they were ready, and they'd go on his mark.
Then here goes nothing.
With a deep breath, Ray strode forward, snapping Morpher across his chest. "You guys, ready?"
They all stepped in time, stamping forward to join in the rebellion. "Ready!"
And then, it was like their bodies knew what to do. They moved in unison like a dance emerging from deeper with their brains as they all kicked devices to life. And at the top of their lungs, they bellowed out the words. The words that would forever change their lives.
"DATA SQUAD! DIGITIZE!"
The Morphers burst to light, a blinding rainbow searing through the dark in all directions and consuming their bodies completely. The crimson glow enveloped him, coursing through his body like an electric current through water. His nerves were fading, his back curling straighter. A strange substance was materializing, wrapping around limbs to make them feel… stronger. Powerful.
Like he could take on the world.
The newfound strength surged within him, a hard material encasing his head as a dark visor snapped in front of his vision. Then, at last, the light faded, and the five of them stood triumphant in the face of their foes; renewed and transformed.
As Power Rangers.
There they were, standing in the middle of a street wearing brightly colored spandexes and matching helmets, their Morphers now strapped to their wrists.
"All right!" Ben exclaimed.
"Yeah!" Jake cheered
"It worked, Benson!" Hilary called out into the air.
Ray meanwhile turned, tauntingly pointing to the army before them. "You were saying, bolt brain?"
If Cyrax was deterred, he didn't show it merely scoffing as he faded back into the Byte-Bot ranks. "Your flashing new clothing does not faze me. Byte-Bots, attack!"
But the Rangers were already moving. They snapped fighting stances, lunging into the fray before their enemy could even move. As Ray hit the center, diving into the robotic sea, it felt like nothing could even touch him. A bot came towards him, but his body snapped to block like it was nothing. Countering with a blow of his own, the strength surged as the first collided to send the robot soaring through the air.
These suits were incredible!
Benson's voice suddenly sounded in Ray's ear.
"The suits have bigger weapons," he told them. "JusttellyourMorphers,they'lldotherest."
"Right," they all replied. "Weapons Activate!"
Another flash of light and a giant, crimson sword appeared in his hand. Ray gave it a swing, perfectly balanced and gliding effortlessly through the air despite its hulking size. Then, with a mighty blow, he slashed it wide to strike into the horde and watch them crumble before him.
Beside him, Jake was going to town with an emerald axe, each wide strike catching as many bots as Ray had struck with his sword. Meanwhile, Johnny was spinning into a whirlwind, long-black staff flipping around to extend his reach and smack and Byte-bots that dared to think themselves safe.
And Ben, Ben took to the skies. Leaping higher than Ray could ever have thought possible, he rocketed downwards, slamming his giant blue hammer into the asphalt. An enormous shockwave rippled in impact crashing through the Byte-Bots forces and hurling them all in all directions. Spinning through the chaotic melee, Hilary snapped up to Ray, back-to-back while brandishing a pair of razor, yellow sais.
"Shall we?" Ray offered.
Even through her helmet, Ray could just imagine how wide she was grinning. "Of course."
The Byte-Bots came in large numbers, yet these were now even easier than before. The five jumped and dodged with grace, strikes landing with ease while their new weapons tore the robots apart. For a moment, Ray wished that he could be back in the warehouse, not for safety, but to watch. To be outside of his body, behold with awe the power and expertise he and his super-suited friends were exhibiting. He still didn't think he'd believe it.
Within minutes, the Byte-Bots weren't lying shattered at their feet, remnants limping back to Cyrax in retreat as the Rangers formed up again. Feeling the full exhilaration of their power, the Rangers turned to Cyrax and the virus, ready for more.
"Ready to give up yet?" Ray taunted.
"Not by a long shot! Felisaur! Attack!"
As if waiting for the sign, the arms of the horrid creature flailed in excitement as it lumbered toward the Rangers. "My pleasure! Let's see how you like my furballs!"
They thought they'd have time to move. They were dead wrong.
As the monster's head snapped back, Ray readied to strike. But the monster was well ahead of them. Throwing its mouth forward, a barrage of enormous, putrid globs spluttered from its mouth, soaring through the air toward them. The Rangers dived, Felisaur's brown goo narrowly soaring past and splatting on the ground behind them before exploding.
Still falling from their dodge, the blast unleashed a shockwave that caught them in midair. With nowhere to go and balance completely gone, all were flung by the blast, swept into the air, and tossed across the concrete with a painful thud. For the second time that day, Ray staggered to his feet, his teammates rising to do the same. Benson was right to warn them. Whatever this was, it was leagues stronger than the Byte-bots, even Cyrax.
"So how about it, Rangers?" Felisaur cackled. "Feline up for another round?"
"Guys,goodwork,theshield is almostup,"Benson said over the intercom. "Ifyoucanholdfor just one moreminute, we'reintheclear!"
"I don't think we can last that long." Ray croaked as he and the others struggled to their feet.
"I know it's strong, but you can do it," Benson encouraged. "Sometimes when our backs are against the wall, we see what we're truly capable of."
"Whoops!" Felisaur laughed, already winding back to hock another explosive loogie at them. "Looks like I've got another one!"
This time they were ready, scattering as the goop glunked and boomed across the ground. But as Ray hit the ground and rolled, he knew they were running out of time. The more they played defense, the further they got from the warehouse. And judging from the blast, Felisaur would only need one sloppy chunk to take the whole thing down.
"Benson, that thing nearly wiped us with a single blast!" Johnny yelled. "How could we possibly take it out?"
But then it hit him, the answer sounding through Ray's mind before Benson could even reply. So far, they'd handled everything on their own. If this was how powerful they were as individuals, then he could only imagine how they'd be when united. Leaping back toward them, he gathered around the teammates and told them the plan. "We do it together."
They didn't need to question, inquire, or ask. Instead, they nodded and stood firm, spinning around to face their monstrous adversary.
"Time to put the cat back in the bag," he decided.
"Trycombiningyourweapons," Benson suggested. "Thatshouldgive you thefirepower you need."
"Well guys, you heard him," Ray ordered. "Let's put it together!"
They moved as one with frightening speed, wordless locking their weapons in place. Be it from the guiding of their suits, or some intuitive knowledge of their weapons, their new armament was assembled in seconds. Ray's sword formed the base, the Hammer and Axe slotting above and below while Johnny's staff split in a hinge to run down the length and form a pair of barrels. Hilary's sais slotted to form sideways grips, and together the team huddled to brace it.
It was heavy! Their weapons had flourished with such ease, but even with their newfound strength, the five combined needed all of them to hold it in place. But it was ready, and bracing for discharge, the team of Rangers leveled the barrel at their foe.
"Ready?" Ray called.
"Ready!"
Then together they cried out, holding from as Ray squeezed the trigger. "Data Blaster! Fire!"
The sheer recoil nearly sent them flying, the entire cannon rocking grip as a bolt of energy erupted from the end. The golden bullet rippled through the air, on a bulls-eye path to Felisaur.
"Wait!" it cried out. "That's not fair! I thought it was curiosity that killed the cat!"
With no time to dodge, the round caught the monster dead center and detonated on impact. The ball flashed, tearing against the Felisaur's form, filling the air with a deafening boom. The round didn't wipe it completely, but Felisaur was done. They flailed as they fell, toppling backward and cracking the cement.
And then it exploded.
Like something had triggered from within, flames surged from the monster's form, blowing the downed Felisaur to a million pieces. Black smoke rose into the sky as steamy chunks of monster rained down and splatted across the area.
"Yeah, all right!" Ben yelled in triumph.
The Rangers retracted their weapons, spinning around in unity to face down their final target. They'd taken him down once, and that was before they'd got their Ranger powers. Which meant they could do it again.
Cyrax staggered back, all too aware that the odds had well and truly shifted.
"You may have won this round, Rangers," He snarled. "But this is far from over."
"Take your time," Ray replied with a smirk. "We'll be waiting."
The warrior disappeared in a flash of green light.
Cyrax hit the observation deck, gasping in frustration as rose from a kneeling pose to see Gideon fuming over Kelgar. The lizardman was cowering, bracing to face the full fury of their master's disappointment, and Cyrax knew well that his own punishment was next.
"Useless!" Gideon roared. "Stupid!"
"My lord," Cyrax decided coldly. "We still have one option. We do have the Data Recovery Beam!"
"Then use it!"
In front of him, Kelgar's face dropped in horror.
"But master," Kelgar insisted. "We've never used it before; we don't know what it can do!"
"I said do it!"
Cyrax watched as Kelgar flinched, scampering away to the central console in full awareness of the price for disobedience. It would be far more dangerous than any side-effect of the untested device.
"Of course, my lord. Readying the Data Recovery Beam."
He punched the final key and yanked down the level, the whole computer whirring with new, dangerous life. On the monitor, Cyrax saw a long emitter emerge from the fortress's plating. On the other, he could see the Rangers still morphed and standing before the warehouse, childishly celebrating their first victory.
"Fire!" Gideon commanded.
Green light burst from the emitter, splitting the night sky like a strike from above and baring down on the fuming body of Felisaur. The smoldering pieces started moving, glowing with sickening light as they slowly trudged together. The Rangers on screen had stopped laughing, pointing in shock and horror as piece by piece the destroyed virus began to reform in front of them.
But the beam didn't stop there. Felisaur continued to grow and grow, the beam spurting more and more energy into their rejuvenated form.
Kelgar gave Cyrax a nervous look, neither knowing if or when the process would stop.
"That's an interesting side effect," Cyrax commented.
But Gideon was watching from his throne with glee, as at last the glowing stopped and Felisaur now towered above the Rangers and the rest of the city. A hulking monstrosity that was his to command.
"Yes," he lauded. "Yes! Make my monster grow!"
"Run, run, run, little Rangers!"
The Rangers dived as a massive foot slammed where they'd been standing, the earth quaking on impact as they landed and bolted for cover by a nearby building. Felisaur had been dangerous enough before, but now it was towering above them by nearly eighty feet! Ray didn't even want to think about the destruction it was capable of.
"This is bad!" Jake panicked. "This is really, really, bad!"
"Don't worry guys," Benson assured them. "The firewall'sup now. Even at that size, it's not getting inside."
"That's great for you!"Johnny hissed. "You can be the lone warehouse in a district of crumbled buildings."
"If we don't stop him, he's going to trash the city!" Ray agreed. "Benson, please tell me you've got more tricks."
"As a matter of fact…"
All they heard from there was more frantic typing.
"YouknowhowImentionedthedigitizingprocess?" he asked them.
"That's how our Morphers work right?" replied Hilary
"Yeah well, it doesn't just store normal-sized things," Benson explained. "It can also be used to contain things that are bigger. A lot bigger."
Ben pointed up at the rampaging virus. "How are we ever going to be able to contain that?"
"You won't, but I can use it to send out something similar size. Something to help you even the odds. I'm talking about Zords.
"Zords?"
"Justtrustme,Jake."
Trust was all they had left, but Benson had led them this far. No sense in giving up now.
"Guys, it's heading towards the city." Ray told them "It's now or never."
"Right," Johnny said agreeing, "Then let's do this."
Raising the Morphers on their wrists, they reached for the sky and call-in desperation.
"Zord Powers, Digitize!"
More light, even more blinding than before, as they watched five mechanical animals emerge from the glow. But just like the monster, it didn't stop. These new constructions swelled, enlarging until they were easily close to the same size as Felisaur. And when the light faded, five, enormous, mechanical animals stood ready in front of them.
No time to waste, the Rangers leaped into the air, each being drawn into their Zords and sliding into the vehicles' cockpits. Ray stared at the buttons and switches of his new Red Lion, shocked at the realization that he somehow knew what all of them did. Then he narrowed his eyes on Felisaur.
Time for the big guns.
"All right, guys, let's do it," he ordered. "Let's bring them together!"
The Zords surged forward, moving like a pack as they lunged at the rampaging monster.
And then they began to change. The yellow tiger and blue wolf surged ahead, heads dropping to the ground and backs rising above into a pair of legs. Trumpeting loudly, jumped above them, soaring downwards as the entire machine came apart. A pair of arms unfolded from within, expanding into a waist and torso that locked into the lower Zords. Then Jake's emerald eagle dove into a tailspin, wings bursting just above the ground as slotted to form armor on the chest while the wings snapped around to make form a shield on the back. The while heads of the Black and Green Zords rolled up the body, clicking to guard each shoulder, Ray's lion unleashed a mighty roar as it leaped above them.
His Zord split as well, the maw and mane moving up before flipping backward, revealing a silver, human face beneath. The Zord slammed down, steam hissing as it connected and formed the head.
His chair slid backward, a compartment opening behind to whisk him into an elevator. Up, then forward, doors opening again to reveal a large cockpit. The chair wheeled in, the others filing in behind manning at their stations as the five prepared to steer the mighty machine.
Ready to take on their monster.
"Server Patrol Megazord!" they announced with pride. "Online!"
Felisaur whipped around, clearly unimpressed by the interruption to his planned destruction.
"Fancy!" it scoffed. "Hope it doesn't get dirty!"
The furballs vomited from its mouth, slamming into the giant robot and blasting across its body. The explosions peppered across the Megazord, sparks flying around the cockpit as Ray had to shield his face.
But to the Ranger's surprise, the Megazord simply stumbled, but it didn't fall. It stood strong. As Ray looked around, he saw they were fine as well. Whatever damage Felisaur had hoped to inflict, the results had only been minor, barely a scratch.
And now it was their turn.
"What!?" Felisaur exclaimed, gasping at his ineffective attack. "Impossible!"
"It's time to finish this!" Ray declared. He flipped a switch, the screen flashing the weapons console. He knew just which one to pick. As Ray hit the command, the Ranger all cried together.
"Terabyte Saber!"
The Megazord raised its hulking hand, red light flashing as a giant sword materialized in its grip. Felisaur barely had time to falter as the Megazord took a booming step and readied to strike.
"What's the matter?" Ray laughed. "Cat got your tongue?"
Then they charged forward. With all the force of a cat-five hurricane, the Megazord thundered forward with alarming ferocity. And just like with their canon before, Felisaur had nowhere to run. The Megazord brought the weapon low, winding back as it closed the distance and Felisaur flailed in desperation. Then met, and the Terabyte Sabre flashed through their foe like a bolt of lightning. The flashing blade sliced across the monster's chest, energy coalescing around the weapon as it carved deep into the virus' form.
And Megazord kept going. Strike finished but momentum maintaining, the mechanized warrior lumbered to a halt past their target. But they need to turn around. On the screen, they could see the impact of their handiwork, and Felisaur screamed as they fell.
"I didn't even get a canary!" they bemoaned as they flailed in fall, the ground quaking as they slammed onto the city streets. And then, just as they had before, they exploded.
A dazing column of flame erupted from within, towering into the sky of fire as the boom drowned out Felisaur's final cries. Only this time, as the flames died and smoke dissipated, nothing remained at all. The Megazord's attack had completely disintegrated it.
"Yeah!" Jake cheered.
"All right!" Ben agreed.
From their seats in the cockpit, the Rangers roared in celebration, still in disbelief and relief taking hold at last as the true magnitude of what they'd down set in. The danger gone, the Server Patrol Megazord stood proudly above the city, proud and confident that its people were safe once more.
"Incompetent!" Gideon roared at his two cowering servants.
Cyrax was already kneeling, a final desperate hope that playing to his master's vanity would help stave off punishment. It did not appear to be working.
"We are sorry, master;" he admitted. "We did not anticipate Benson having the Morphers functioning so quickly. The Rangers were far more powerful than we anticipated."
"That seems to be the running theme of the day," Gideon hissed back.
"Master," Kelgar pleaded. "We'll do better next time, we promise! We just need a stronger virus. Then we'll be able to destroy the Rangers for good."
"I don't want to hear your excuses!"
Gideon swung wide, his fist striking his servant across the jaw and hurling him across the room. "Your creations were useless at stopping them. And you…!"
He spun to point an accusing finger at Cyrax as Kelgar slowly rose to all fours, whimpering.
"Had it not been for your plan they wouldn't have run to get their Ranger powers in the first place!" Gideon snarled. "Both of you had better figure out a way to fix this mess, or the Rangers will be the last thing you need to be frightened of!"
With that, he spun on his heels and exited the deck, cape billowing behind him as his two servants were left to contemplate just how big of a mess they were in.
Down in the warehouse, the Rangers had finally powered down their suits and were back inside with exhilarated celebration.
"That was awesome!" Ben cheered.
"Yeah," agreed Jake, "Don't even know what we were worried about."
"Those goons are going to think twice about messing with us again," Johnny decided.
But Benson wasn't in the same high spirits as the rest, instead looking down in almost solemn contemplation. While the others reveled in their glee, Ray caught his dour expression.
"It's not over," he realized. "Is it?"
Benson shook his head. "Now that Gideon knows where I am, he'll stop at nothing to destroy me. And now that he knows that I've got the Morphers working, that means he'll do the same to the five of you. I've got to get out of here before things get worse. And if we're really, really lucky, he'll be so focused on me that he'll leave you all alone."
"So, that's it?" Johnny asked. "You're just going to run?"
"I don't have a choice."
Ray looked at the others, a shared moment of silent understanding. One by one they slowly nodded in unanimous agreement. United together, they moved to stand between Benson and the exit, proud and ready.
"But you do," said Ray. "You could let us help you."
Benson remained unconvinced. "I've put you in enough danger as it is."
"Sure," Ben admitted. "But you also said that we're the only ones that can use these Morphers, which means we're the best defense you have."
"And without you, we can't use these Morphers," Jake added. "Which means you're also the best defense we have."
"We can do this," Hilary insisted. "Gideon is going to attack wherever you are, so doesn't it make sense to stay with the people that can help you? To not face him alone?"
"We're in," Ray reaffirmed. "Whether you like it or not."
As Benson looked up to the united front of teenagers before him, it became abundantly clear he was never going to win. But for all his fear, Ray caught a glimmer of something else in the man's eyes. Hope.
At last, Benson released a sigh of resignation. Argued down by a group of teenagers. "Fine, but I have two conditions."
"Name them," said Johnny.
"First, you don't tell anyone about your powers without my permission; I don't need the attention, and believe me, you don't want it either. Secondly, these powers are for defense only. We let Gideon come to us, and we don't escalate a fight; it'll only make things worse."
"Done," said Ray, with the rest of the team all nodding in agreement. Then he put his hand forward. "No more taking it solo. From now on, we're all in this together."
One by one, his friends all put their hands into the circle before at last looking expectantly at Benson. For a moment, he hesitated, but just quickly related sent in his palm to join them.
"Ah, what the hell."
All hands in the circle, Ray looked at them one by one, all of them grinning back with fearful excitement. His friends, his team; Power Rangers.
"The Data Squad," Ray announced, and together flew upwards, waving in the air with triumphant cheer, a defiant call for all that would come to face them.
"THE DATA SQUAD!"
NEXT TIME- Fresh from their victory, the Rangers prepare to protect Cranston City from Gideon's next creation. But as Ray begins to train his teammates, he can't help but question his true abilities as a leader. But will their confidence lead them into a trap? Will Ray find his feet as the team's Red Ranger? Or will Gideon use their inexperience to end their time as Rangers before it's even truly begun?
Find out next time on
POWER RANGERS- DATA SQUAD
The Importance of Being Ray
A/N:
Power Rangers: Data Squad is a fan-made team of Rangers that is not explicitly based on any other existing Rangers or Sentai property and updates twice weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you like what you read, you can always drop a comment to let me know, and don't forget to subscribe, follow or bookmark to get updated the second I post.
So, until next time, may the power protect you all.
