"Your suits can only take so much damage. If they beat with more than they can handle, they revert into your Morphers," Doc explained. Defeated and demoralized, the Rangers had retreated to the warehouse following their clash with Gideon's forces. Now they sat around the console, icing their bruised bodies and desperately turning to Doc for answers.
"Wait, what?" Johnny demanded. "Why would they do that, it left us completely exposed?"
"When the suits come out of the Morphers, the data doesn't stay there," Doc replied. "The process of converting the data to physical matter ejects it from the device, which also means if the suits take enough damage they could be permanently destroyed. It's a failsafe that reconverts it back into data and stores them the Morpher to keep them safe."
"Like force-quitting and rebooting a program," Hilary concluded.
"So, you're saying that the suits have to repair themselves first?' Jake realized.
"Think of it like a recharge," said Doc. "By now the data should have rebooted, so your power will be back online. But even still, I don't think it's a good idea to face that thing again without some sort of plan."
Ray nodded but said nothing, returning to his solemn, contemplative silence. The others were shaken, sure, but by and large, had taken it in their stride. They'd all got out, their powers were recharged, and they could handle it. Maybe they were worried, nervous, and hiding it from the others, but they remained oblivious to the burden they otherwise were free of.
Because it was all his fault.
The first time they used their powers, everything went so smoothly, why did things have to go wrong immediately? He knew they weren't ready, that the other night they'd been able to catch their enemy off guard, no one knowing what the Morphers were capable of. But this time their enemy knew exactly what they could do.
And having been unable to even teach them to throw a punch, he'd led them charging right on in any way.
They'd got lucky; one second later and Batteryman would have fried them. And it was all his fault.
"You all right?"
The voice shook him from his mopey thoughts, pulling him back to the present. The team had moved away, now sitting off to the side discussing something. Strategy, probably, and hopefully something better than whatever he could come up with.
But Doc stood beside him, looking patiently and earnestly at the Red Ranger.
"I just can't believe how easily we got our butts kicked," Ray admitted. "I mean, are all our battles going to be like that? We got one good win, and we're smacked straight back down."
Doc nodded softly but at first, said nothing. Then, after a moment of silence, as if letting him collect his thoughts, he shrugged and said, "It happens."
Ray looked up, confused as to how Benson could be so calm, so relaxed. Just a week ago he'd been panicking about Gideon finding them, frantically racing to raise the firewall. And he was acting like it was nothing?
"You got beat," Doc continued. "Probably won't be the last time. But you got all the innocent civilians to safety, no one else got hurt, and you were able to walk away. In my book, it's a win. Sometimes it's the best you can hope to ask for."
"But how can that be the best we've got?"
"Being able to walk away means you've got a second chance. They caught you off guard, they're not going to be able to do that again."
"Yeah, but…" Ray trailed off. He'd been so confident, so sure. And it had led his friends into a trap. He had led his friends into a trap.
"You feel like you've failed them?" Doc said as if reading his mind.
Ray nodded. "I mean, I am the Red Ranger, but I didn't choose it. It was only ever because I happened to pick up that Morpher. But if I am r=Red, doesn't that mean I should be doing a better job at leading them?"
Doc paused for a long time as if choosing the exact words to use. Then he nodded over to his friends, who Ray realized had now moved to the crash pads. They'd started practice all on their own.
"Hey, Johnny?" Jake asked. "Could you come and check our stances? Ray showed us early, but I don't think we were getting it right."
Johnny just looked the three of them up and down.
"They're looking good to me," he said. "Ray must have given you plenty of good pointers."
"Hey, we were about to get some practice in and we a fourth," Hilary added. "Mind giving us a hand?"
At the invitation, Johnny's face lit up. "Yeah, sure. I can do that."
They… they were managing it. Even as he watched, the team began to move more fluidly, more balanced, pushing each other back while equalizing between offense and defense. Just like he'd shown them.
Watching from the sidelines, Doc turned back to Ray, a knowing smile now worn plain as day.
"There have been plenty of times where the leader of a team was not the Red Ranger," he explained. "And that's not why you're their leader. You're the leader because they trust you, you bring out the best in them, and you guide them without ever controlling them. You're their leader because they choose to put their faith in you, and I could see that before you even saw the Morphers. You'll get the hang of it, just like they did. All it takes is time."
He was right. His friends had given him their trust, now he needed to give himself that same honor. He'd get there eventually. But at that moment, Doc's words triggered something in Ray's brain, like a pulled thread, unraveling further and further.
"Time…" he muttered before his eyes snapped wide in realization. "He needs time to power up his attack! That's it! Doc, have you got footage of that fight we just had?"
"Ah, sure, let me pull it up."
"Get to just before we hit it with the Data Blaster, then slow it right down."
Having noticed Ray's exclaiming, the other four stopped their sparring and starred. And Ray whipped around the desk to lean over Doc's computers, they'd wandered over to investigate.
"Hey guys, what're you doing?" Hilary inquired.
"Ray's got an idea," said Doc.
"More of a hunch," Ray added.
"Still, let's see where it goes."
Doc wound back the footage, watching frame by frame as the blaster's round inched closer to the Batteryman. The shield burst from the unit on its back, snapping in place to tank the shot, and energy splashed across the surface.
"There!" Ray pointed. "Watch what's happening."
Slowing further, the frames ticked over as they all watched the energy from their attack dissipate into the shield. And then, it became part of it.
"That's how he did it," he realized. "Before we fired the blaster his attacks were too slow. Sure, he hit a couple of us, but we were still standing. But after we used the blaster, his attacks were way stronger. As if…"
Hilary's eyes widened as she came to the same conclusion, "… he absorbed our attack and used it against us."
Ray's heart pounded with excitement. Before they'd had no idea what they were walking into, but now… now they could beat him. Nodding at Hilary's conclusion, he rewound the footage and replayed the fight again.
"Look at this. His electricity comes out, but he can't aim it. When he hit Jake and Johnny it was almost by accident. He got his best hit in when we were all clumped together."
"So, we need to scatter," Johnny concluded. "Split up so he can't pin us down."
"But if we all split up, we won't be able to combine our weapons into the Data Blaster," Hilary pointed out.
"And even if we could get the chance to put it together," Ben agreed. "How're we going to take him out if he's just going to send our attack right back at us?"
"Look," said Ray, fast-forwarding to the end. "The monster completely flipped out once that unit on its back got splashed with water. That's its weakness. If we land a good strike there, we should be able to take it."
The others began to nod, seeing Ray's plan unfold before them. Jake, however, still needed convincing.
"Not to be that guy," he pointed out. "But when you guys hit him with your Power Weapons, and he shrugged it off like it was nothing."
"Actually," said Doc. "I think I might have something for that."
As the teens turned to him in curiosity, he began rummaging below the desk. Producing a large box, he cracked it open and pulled out a set of silver pistols.
"When you fought Cyrax the other night I realized how your Ranger powers have a severe lack of projectile weaponry, so I fired up the digitizer and put these together." He explained. "They're an ordinary blaster, not as strong as your combined cannon but they still pack a punch. And if you move the handle about 90 degrees like so… "
Just as he described he flipped down the grip, moving the weapon into a straighter shape as a long thin blade jutted out from within. "Then you have yourself a convenient, close-combat sword. Probably not as effective as your Power Weapons, but still perfectly fine for facing off against Byte-Bots."
"It'll help," Ray thanked. "I think I've got an idea."
And as if it was waiting for his revelation, the alarm sounded. The battery was back and was now attacking the city square. Ray looked up at his teammates, all of them awaiting his command.
"You guys ready for round two?"
"Yeah!" Hilary decided.
"Let's take this bolt brain down," Johnny agreed.
With the rest of them rushing to the exit, Ray shot one final look at Doc, uncertain anxiety creeping into his chest once more. But seeing the Ranger's nerves, the programmer nodded in affirmation.
"Go," he assured. "You've got this."
He was right; they did. Steeling his confidence, Ray hurried to join the others, standing together with their Morphers tight in their grips.
"You guys ready?" Ray called.
"Ready!"
Standing right by their leader, the team confirmed their trust. Then moving in perfect unison, they summoned the power and launched themselves to the scene.
"Data Squad! Digitize!"
The crowd shrieked and stumbled, desperate to escape as more lightning rained from Batteryman's hands and struck the surrounding ground. Pure pandemonium as the monster lapped it up with glee.
"Why are you all running away? Isn't my power electrifying?"
"Hey, ugly!"
The monster spun, shocked at the sudden bravado that cut through the fleeing terror. Running at top speed, the Rangers leaped and somersaulted onto the scene, standing together in brave defiance.
"We've had our recharge and we're ready to take you down!" Ray declared.
"Come back for more, eh?" Batteryman snickered. "Well, you got it!"
His hands shot the shy, lighting forking in all directions as the Rangers scattered. Just as before it rained in all directions, striking the cement as the Rangers dived for cover.
Keep moving, Ray told himself, don't give him an easy target.
He wheeled around, diving again as a bolt struck the ground, sword ready as he saw Johnny charge in from the other angle. And now they were in a perfect position. Rematch time.
The Rangers lunged. Too close for Batteryman's lighting, the boys went directly on the offensive. They pushed back, strike after strike, weapons battering the monster's metal casing, neither one willing to give their enemy a chance to hit back. They needed to keep him on the back foot. They needed to make him mad.
"Enough!" it roared, whirring begging to sound from its back. Just as Ray had expected. With a furious cry, it flung out its hands, electricity bursting in all directions and catching the pair of them.
The attack slammed them back, sparks bursting from their chests and hurling them into the air. But they didn't give up. Both Ray and Johnny narrowed themselves, gracefully backflipping to land on their feet with the impact points on their suits still smoking. And then they leaped right back in. Batteryman unleashed a new volley, but Ray and Johnny were too fast, jumping out of the way and landing with a roll before keeping their momentum. Together they leaped, weapons slicing in a synchronous slash that carved across the Batteryman's chest. And then, just like before, they kept up their assault.
"Morons! " Batteryman yelled as his arm clanged against the power sword, "Your weapons can't hurt me! What do you think this is going to achieve?"
"Oh, this?" Ray laughed. "Nothing."
"Yeah," Johnny grinned. "We're just the distractions!"
"WHAT?"
Every blow they'd made, every strike they'd landed, all had been for a single purpose. Not to wound, but steer. To keep Batteryman so singularly focused that he couldn't see where Ray and Johnny were leading him.
Or where the other Rangers had run off to.
"Rangers!" Hilary ordered from behind, "Fire!"
Leaping into position, Jake, Hilary, and Ben vaulted into the air, new data pistols flaring as they unleashed a torrential volley at the unit on Batteryman's back.
The final piece Ray had realized when reviewing their battle. The power unit was his weakness, and the shield he summoned only ever covered the monster's front. When attacked from both sides, the unit would be vulnerable, no matter where he turned.
The energy bolts blasted into the power unit, sparks flaring in all directions as the monster screamed and staggered. They spun to their new attackers with frightening fury, lightning arcing from their hands to blast back against the surprise attack.
Forgetting all about the Red and Black Rangers in striking distance.
"Made you look!"
With a triumphant cheer, the pair drove their weapons into the sparking unit, unleashing huge strips of lightning from inside. Batteryman screamed again, now flailing and stumbling in random directions as the two Rangers leaped and flipped back to their teammates. With nowhere to go and power hemorrhaging from their body, Batteryman no longer had the strength to stand.
"No fair!" they screamed, flailing as they fell backward. "Cheap shot!"
Then the power pack exploded, consuming the virus in a ball of fire as the Rangers stood and watched in celebration.
Up above, Gideon's hand slammed into the armrest of his throne as he watched the destruction of his monster.
"Again?" he demanded. "You assured me that this was the perfect counter to the Rangers!"
"Master," Kelgar quivered. "I'm sorry! I could never have known that they'd discern the virus' weakness."
"Fire the Data Recovery Beam!"
"But master, I cannot replicate the shield generator. Even if I could, the virus won't be able to power it at that size!"
Gideon's head snapped back, gaze now a seething, withering glare. "Then it's a good thing his lightning will be enough to level the entire city."
Knowing full well the consequence of arguing with his master's fury, Kelgar bowed his head.
"Of course, my master." Then he moved to the control panel and activated the beam.
Just like when they'd defeated Felisaur, a beam of green light shot down from the sky, glowing on the scattered remains of the virus. The chunks snapped together, forming a new mass that grew and grew to greater size.
"I'm baaaaack," Batteryman laughed as he towered over the city. "Talk about a fresh recharge!"
"Knew he was a sore loser," said Ray before raising his Morpher. "You know what to do guys!"
"Right! Zord Powers! Digitize!"
The light burst from their Morpher screens, searing into the city sky as Zords materialized before them. With the giant animals racing forward, the Rangers took to the air and swept into the cockpits.
"Ready, guys?"
"You betcha!" called Jake
"Right, then let's bring them together."
The Zords clicked and whirled, shifting to their new forms as one by one they took their place. Johnny's elephant locked in as the torso, and Ray moved to form the head. His chair slid into the control room, his friends sitting by his side.
"All right! Server Patrol Megazord, Online!"
The walking battery just looked at them amused. "More cheap tricks? I thought you were out of juice?"
"Not by a long shot!" Ray taunted back, slamming the controls to common the mighty broadsword. "Terabyte Saber!"
"Fools, you won't even be able to get close enough to nick me with that!"
The Megazord rumbled forward, charging head-on with the weapon ready. But as it did, Batteryman raised their hands, the blue electricity forking between their hands as the energy grew and grew.
And then they unleashed. Ray had expected it to rain down, just like before, but now it was hurtling forward, a targeted beam that lanced into the Megazord's chest. The power surged through it, arcing around the body as it all sunk deep into the machine. In the cockpit, the consoles flared as damaged wires and circuits fried inside their casing and the whole Zord stumbled back.
"Uh oh," Batteryman cackled. "Looks like a bad case of overload!"
The entire Megazord groaned as Ray steered it forward again, heart racing in horror at Batteryman's power. But just as he felt the panic begin to clasp around him, Doc's words echoed across his mind.
Being able to walk away means you've got a second chance.
They weren't down, and they certainly weren't out. They just had to make this shot count.
"Hilary?" he asked quickly. "How are we going?"
"Systems are still running, but barely. That electricity must have fried a lot of internal circuitries. We can't take another hit like that!"
Ray scanned the controls, most of them simply different Zord configurations but none immediately helpful. Then he had an idea.
"Jake, your Zord had wings right?"
"I hope so, or I'd be worried about how it could fly."
"So, when it merged with the rest to make the Megazord, what happened to the wingspan?"
"Uh, guys," Ben alerted, "I hate to break up your brainstorming session…!"
Up ahead, Batteryman was standing still, feet planted firmly on the ground as more electricity began building between its hands. "I'm gonna wipe you guys off the face of the earth!"
Johnny looked up from his panel. "If he releases it, that tin can's blast could wipe out us and the city!"
Out of time, here goes nothing.
"Jake, get the wings ready to reposition," Ray ordered. "But don't shift them until my mark."
Jake's reply was instantaneous, without a single beat of hesitation. "On it, Ray."
They trusted him.
With a mighty roar, Battery-man hurled the giant electricity ball directly at the Megazord, and Ray bellowed the command. "Eagle-Wing Shield!"
Jake slammed his hand on the dial and twisted as hard as he could. The two wings of Eagle Zord snapped from behind, locking into place in front of the Megazord's spare hand. But Ray was already moving it, the giant lightning ball having crossed closed the distance to the Megazord.
With a mighty roar, Ray yanked Megazord's arm, slamming the shield directly into the ball and batting it high into the air. The attack picked up speed, soaring higher and higher before at last detonating in an impressive display of sparkling blue.
Down below, Batteryman could only watch in horror. "What?" they screamed, "That's impossible!"
"What's the matter?" Ray chuckled. "You seem shocked."
And then he launched on the offense, reefing the controls forward to send the Megazord barreling at the virus. Before Batteryman could prepare another attack.
"Looks like your power's just gone flat!"
In full unison, the Ranger grabbed the controls and forced the weapon down, "Terabyte Saber!"
The weapon began to glow, light building and coalescing around the blade as the Server Patrol closed the distance. Then, with a mighty slash, the enormous broad sword carved through Batteryman's body, flashing as it seared right through them.
"I need to plug back into a power board!" it bemoaned as it toppled backward. And as the Megazord rumbled past, Batteryman vanished in a flash of fire, a mighty explosion that towered into the sky and shattered the monster down to its atoms.
"Well done, guys" Ray congratulated as he looked around the cockpit. For a moment, the mighty robot stood tall, basking in the city's cheering of their triumph.
On Gideon's assault ship, Cyrax turned from the display to look at Kelgar, standing flabbergasted at the console. He'd blink, face almost drooping as he gulped down and braced for what was to come. Beneath his helmet, Cyrax couldn't but let the lips curl into a cunning smirk.
"Master," he said calmly, "I would like to point out that Kelgar has twice now refused my interference, and your virus has twice now been destroyed..."
From his throne, Gideon's scowl only narrowed, rising to his full height to bear down over Kelgar as the monster maker began to grovel. "I believe you have a point, Cyrax," he growled, "Kelgar's plans have again proved inadequate at defeating the Power Rangers."
"I am sorry my lord!" Kelgar pleaded. "I had not foreseen the Rangers getting past the electromagnetic shield!"
Gideon grabbed his minion by the neck.
"I care little for your pathetic excuses," he snarled. "You better watch yourself Kelgar, or the next thing that I'll send to face them will be you! And I may forget to activate the recovery beam!"
Throwing Kelgar to the floor, Gideon stormed out of the room. As the doors hissed closed, Cyrax looked down at his whimpering comrade.
"Well now. That didn't go too well, did it?"
"To us." Ben gleefully toasted raising his smoothy.
"To Ray," Hilary corrected.
With the battle won, the Rangers had all agreed that a celebration was in order, and had headed down to the Shak after their debrief with Doc. Grabbing their usual table, the twins had decided a round of smoothies was the best place to start. But while Hilary was adamant in showering their leader with praise, Ray felt otherwise.
"Come on guys," he insisted. "It was a team effort."
"Come on man," said Johnny, "It was your plan that saved us."
"A plan that would have been useless if you guys hadn't pulled it off," Ray replied. "Besides, we all know we would have been toast if it hadn't been for Jake's Eagle Zord."
"Which I had no idea how to use." Jake pointed out. 'That shield move was a stroke of genius."
"Besides, Ray," Hilary smiled. "It's okay to let us give you the credit once and a while. You earned it."
For a moment, Ray's eyes caught her gaze, direct attention pulled to the warm smile she was beaming at him. To the look of pride and admiration that fluttered at his heart. In that second, she could have made him agree to almost anything. But much he'd have loved to laud in Hilary's praise, the victory still wasn't his alone. It was just as much theirs, if not more.
Still, Hilary's smile was returned by one of his own as he too raised the smoothie for a toast.
"To us." A pointed compromise between their wishes. "To the team."
Conceding the point, the other raised the drinks in agreement.
"Fine, to us!
Over at the counter, the portly manager was pouring himself a nice thick smoothy. Perfectly creaming, the blend of bananas and mangos that was just right.
It was a good call, franchising out, even if he'd had to move out to Cranston to oversee it. Who knew? Maybe soon they'd be a Bulkmeier's in every city in America! But his happy mood was quickly deflated when his lanky co-manager suddenly rushed into the café, eagerly stammering at his old friend.
"Bulk! Hey Bulk!" Skull spluttered, bulking over the counter and completely out of breath. "I just saw on the news that it was the Power Rangers who beat that thing this afternoon."
"Power Rangers? In Cranston City? But I haven't heard from the others for a long time; they would have told us if they were coming to town. Wouldn't they?"
"No Bulk, not those Power Rangers, these were new ones."
Bulk's eyes widened. "New Power Rangers? Then… then they could be anyone."
"Yeah, Bulk, they could be anyone!"
Intrigued, the dynamic duo snapped their gazes around the room, eyeing every table with suspicion. They were the two greatest investigators that Angel Grove had ever seen! This would be a simple case for them.
"They won't hide from us," Bulk declared. "We were the master detectives that figured out who the original Power Rangers were back home!"
"Yeah!" Skull agreed. "All on our own. With no help from anyone!"
Then he noticed the five teens gathered around the table. Five friends, always dressed in the same colors, seemed to hurry off together quickly…
"Hey Bulk, you don't think that they could be…?"
Over at the table, the blonde boy in a blue shirt rose from his seat and began wandering toward the counter.
"I'll get the next round of drinks," Ben told his friends before turning to the managers. "Hey guys, could I get four smoothies and a milkshake?"
Neither Bulk nor Skull replied, eyes narrowing as they scanned the boy from top to bottom. Bulk nudged at Skull, both refusing to break eye contact as one serviced the order and the other kept his gaze locked. They didn't blink the entire time.
"Ooooookaaay," Ben whistled, clutching the new drinks between his two hands. "Thanks, guys..."
And then he walked away, almost hurried to put as much distance between himself and the weird managers. With the boy gone, the duo took the chance to converse and share notes.
"You're right, it could be them," Bulk agreed. "I mean the old guys used to hang out all the time, why wouldn't these?"
But as he walked, Ben was too focused on keeping the drink together, and too innerved by the demeanor of the managers to notice an ice cube Skull had knocked to the ground when he rushed in. As his sneaker stepped on the frozen water, his balance gave way completely. He fell, arms flailing for any kind of support, drinks soaring from his hands. They flew high, contents leaping from the cups like birds free of their cage before gravity found the creamy liquids and slapped them down. Right on to the heads of Bulk and Skulls.
Skull burst into laughter, pointing at his smothered companion who by comparison was far less amused. Skull's antics only earned him a smack over the back of the head.
Having grabbed a chair to avoid hitting the ground, Ben climbed to his feet. Holding his breath and turning to the managers, his face went bright red with embarrassment as his companions stifled their laughter behind him.
"Whoa, I am so sorry," Ben gasped apologetically. "Here, let me get something to clean that up."
And as the boy ran away, Bulk leaned closer to converse once more on their theory, oozing strawberry smoothing dripping down the front of his head.
"Can't be," muttered Bulk to Skull. "Too clumsy."
NEXT TIME- While the Rangers revel in their successes, a new challenge looms over Jake. His History test is fast approaching, and a failure could mean getting kicked off the football team. But when his friends are called to defend the city, can he complete the test in time to come to their aid? And can he pull together enough to stop himself from earning a failing grade?
Find next time on:
POWER RANGERS: DATA SQUAD
Extra Credit
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.
