Enjoying their day's early finish, the other Rangers sat by the edge of the football field, basking in the afternoon sun as they friend to finish. At least, that was their plan before their Morphers beeped. With a check around to make sure they were alone, the teens gathered around as Ray opened the com-line.
"Hey Doc, what's going on?"
"Looks like we've got some problems downtown. Seems Gideon's decided that city needed to a pest infestation." The four all shot each other a look; uncertain as to what Doc was referring to. Sensing the awkward uncertainty coming from the silence, he added, "He's made a giant bug."
There was a collective 'ohhhh' as they rose from the bleachers, the rest of the team retrieving their Morphers as Ray confirmed, "We're on our way."
"Just be careful, okay," Doc warned. "I still haven't figured out what Gideon was up to yesterday. It could be a trap."
"Thanks, Doc, we'll be careful."
He cut the com-line and turned the others, holding his Morpher high in signal.
"You guys ready?"
"Ready!"
"Data Squad! Digitize!"
Their Morphers burst to life, encasing them with red, yellow, blue, and black light that formed the suits around them. Power of the grid surging through them, they leaped from the field and rushed to the scene, arriving in what felt like mere moments. The scene that met them wasn't pretty. Cars were over town, the road was shattered, and smoke rose into the air as people screamed and fled the source of the chaos.
Doc wasn't kidding about the bug. Two enormous orbs of crimsons, checkered with a shimmering hexagonal web glared back at them. Its spiny limbs were connected by metal joints, and large exhaust pipes and muffles protruded from its back. Seeing the Rangers arrive, it spun around to face them, its maw-like mandibles almost splitting into a smile as it saw them.
"Oh hello!" it cackled. "I was just getting ready to have visitors. Do you like what I've done with the place?"
"Gross," Hilary groaned. "If I'd known about this guy. I would've brought the bug spray."
"Okay guys, take it easy," Ray warned. "We don't know what this guy's capable of."
"He's not the only one you need to be worried about."
The voice sent chills down their spine, and the Rangers spun to see Cyrax on their opposites, standing confidently as he sandwiched them between the monster and a fresh posse of Byte-Bots.
"It's been too long since I've joined the fun," he sneered, glowing purple sword ready and in hand. "I've been a feeling a little left out."
Rangers snapped back-to-back, facing the threats on all sides as the motors attached to Bug-Eye began to rev.
"Well, Rangers?" Bug-Eye laughed. "We're waiting!"
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Jake was scribbling frantically, firing off thoughts as his pen scratched at the page. He didn't have time to overthink, he either knew it or he didn't. Right now, he had far bigger problems.
Multiple choice? Check. Done and dusted.
Short response. Replied and couldn't have been shorter.
Now for the essay section.
Dammit. Jake hissed in as his mind draw a blank again. No, no, no! Think man, think! Right now, his friends were out there, risking their lives to face some monster threatening the city. And he was trapped in here.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
He checked the clock- thirty minutes to go. Plenty of time for the test; nowhere near enough for his friends.
Go with the gut, and hope for the best. It was the only plan he had left.
Feeling his heart begin to race, his pen hit the page once more and Jake started to write as frantically as he could.
"Hilary and Ben, you guys go right, Johnny and I will go left. Split their forces and scissor in."
"Got it!"
The Rangers split, surging to the fight battle on two fronts. Hilary and Ben had their blasters drawn and ready to strike hard and take the monster down quickly. But quick was about to be redefined.
"Now you see me!" Bug-Eye laughed. Just as their blaster bolts made contact, the creature disappeared, shifting into a blur that zoomed past and reappeared behind them. "And now I'm over here!"
Ray and Johnny skidded to a halt, whipping around with their pistols leveled.
"Let's try that again," Ray ordered. The red and black rangers fired, adding his pistol to Ben and Hilary's weight of fire and blasting from all angles. But Bug-Eye danced between the shots, every round hitting empty air and booming against the city street behind.
And now the Ranger's attention was completely captivated by Bug-Eye, they were ripe for the Byte-Bots' picking.
"My turn,' Cyrax chuckled, whipping out his twin pistols and unleashing a torrent of lasers on the team.
"Hey, don't forget about me!" add the Fly, firing a blast of his own into the mix. The two attacks met in the middle, combing into a towering ball of flames that scattered the Rangers and sent them flying. It hurled them to the ground, one by one dropping onto the concrete with painful thuds.
Struggling to get to their feet, the reality of the situation began to dawn on them.
"We can't fight two battles at once!" Johnny realized.
"How do we even fight something we can't hit?" Ben agreed.
As Ray shot a look around, the Byte-Bots continued to close in. With the Rangers occupied by the monster, the footsoldiers had taken the chance to shift and encircle them. Now the Rangers were trapped, wedged between the Cyrax and Bug-Eye with a wall of Byte-Bots cutting off all escape.
And then Cyrax and Bug-Eye began another barrage.
Come on, come on, you can do this. Jake's pen was scribbling like mad. He didn't care about how much time he had left, he just needed to finish. Football team be damned, his friends needed him!
With a final breath, he slammed the final full-stop and strode over the where Miss Ratched was sitting, slapping the paper onto the desk before making for the exit.
"Where do you think you're going?" she asked, staring over the rim of her glasses. "There's still twenty minutes remaining."
"I've finished the test," said Jake. "I need to get somewhere now."
"Where would that be, football practice?"
"Not exactly."
For a moment, Miss Ratched looked like she was about to argue. Like she'd prepared the speech ahead of time and was too willing to tell Jake exactly what she thought of him and his attitude. Like she'd been waiting for this moment and was going to relish every dripping second. And yet when she looked at Jake, seeing the pleading urgency in his eyes, she softened. As if she realized that Jake didn't really care about football, or at least that at that moment there was something he cared about far more.
That this test was keeping him from it. That he needed her to trust him.
"Okay," she said. "Just this once."
Jake was already halfway out the door as he turned to call a grateful "Thank you!"
Then he switched on his communicator and opened up a line
"Talk to me, Doc."
"They're downtown, and they're getting hammered."
"Downtown!?" Jake groaned. His Rangers powers made him fast, but even suited up he'd struggle to get there in time to help them. "I'm never gonna make it!"
"That'swhereyou'rewrong," Doc replied proudly, "just morph, I'm sending you something."
Skidding outside and stopping around a secluded corner, Jake held up his Morpher and complied.
"Data Squad! Digitize!"
Emerald light flared around him, imbuing him with power as the suit wrapped around his limbs. As the helmet shunted into place, Doc's fresh instructions sounded in his ear. "Okay,nowjustpointyourMorpherforward."
"Right!"
"Deploying Data Cycle!"
A familiar glow burst from his wrist, usually one reserved for his Zords. But this time it was smaller, more contained. And as the fresh green glow faded, what stood before him was a green, armored motorcycle.
"That'll get you there in a jiffy," Doc said proudly. "Now get on. I figured out what they wanted with Ben's car; I'll brief you on the way!"
Without wasting another second, Jake leaped in the saddle and revved the throttle. The bike roared to life, rocketing off down the road at a speed Jake had never thought possible. He'd already reached downtown in what felt like seconds.
But the sight that greeted him was grim. The Rangers were beaten. Huddled together, un-morphed, about to be blasted by a giant fly. Cyrax standing behind them watching with glee.
Brilliant.
"Any last words Rangers?" the virus laughed.
"Yeah!" Jake roared as he roared up behind it. "Eat this!"
He hit the throttle and gunned it, hitting slanted debris that launched the bike into the air. Slamming triggers on the bike's handles, the monster was completely taken by surprise as Jake unleashed a barrage of green laser fire. The blasts caught the virus dead on, scorching its body as it stumbled back, and the remaining shots exploded at its feet.
The bike landed, skidding to a stop by his friends as Jake leaped off.
"Jake!" Hilary exclaimed as they rushed to him.
"But what about your test?" Ray asked him.
"Did the best I could," Jake admitted. "Right, we've got bigger problems."
The giant fly was already getting its feet. "Think that's all you need to stop me?"
"Not at all," said Jake, tossing his Modem Blaster to Johnny. "Johnny, I need you to keep that thing busy with your superspeed."
The Black Ranger looked back at him puzzled. "But I can't use that when I'm morphed."
"I know," Jake replied. "But Doc said that thing's running on a copy of Ben's engine. And since it's a motor…"
"It's going to run out of gas," Ben finished.
"Right."
Then he turned to his friend and placed his hand on his shoulder. "You run him dry, and I've got your back."
Johnny nodded before disappearing in a black blur. He barreled past the monster, striking hard with the Modem sword and causing it to shriek in surprise
"Hey!" it yelled. "That's my thing!"
Then it too vanished in the chase. Suddenly both were smudges of color, bouncing back and forth around the square.
"We should probably help," Ray said to the others.
"You would think so, but you would be wrong." The Rangers turned around to see Cyrax standing behind them.
"I'll help Johnny," Jake said to Ray. "You handle 'Robocop'."
"You're certainly welcome to try," Cyrax snarled.
"Lovely to see you, as always," said Ray, holding high his Morpher before shooting a look at Ben and Hilary. "Time to get back in the action. Ready?"
"Ready!"
"Data Squad! Digitize!"
The activation was instantaneous, primary colors shining around them as the recharged suits returned. As it faded, Ray whipped out his Modem Blaster and tossed it to Jake. "Catch!"
Jake snatched it from the air, along with another tossed by Ben. Then he rushed into the swirling Melee that was johnny and bug-eye.
"If they copied Ben's engine directly," Doc explained. "Then it can't have too much more in the tank."
I've just got hope there's more in Johnny's, Jake pleaded silently. One problem at a time.
The Byte-Bots had seen him breaking from the group, the full gang swarming to overwhelm him. He cracked out the blasters, snapping out the blades and diving right into the tick. The swords in each hand sliced through the air, catching a blow in an x above his head before thrusting the byte-bot backward, spinning into a deadly whirlwind that sliced the footsoldiers to pieces.
Then he pushed on, chasing after Johnny and Bug-Eye to reach where the fight had continued. Both were slowing, and Jake could start to make out the shapes between the flurry of lighting blows.
In a nano-second, he caught Johnny's eye and ran into position. The unmorphed Black Ranger cracked his modem sword into Bug-Eye's chest, sending the fly skidding back. The monster was strong, but its defense relied on speed. If Johnny could hurt it unmorphed, then it wouldn't take much firepower to take it down when pinned.
Bug-Eye's form was visible again, this time staying visible as rushed back at Johnny. They'd tricked him into the vulnerable position, just like they had with Batteryman.
"Fool you once," Johnny taunted, flipping the Modem Blaster into pistol mode. "Shame on us."
"What!?" Bug-Eye demanded, only to see Jake surge upwards from behind. "No. Wait!"
Jake switched back to dual pistols, and the two of them unleashed a devastating barrage that consumed the giant fly. It screamed and flailed, falling back into a blazing explosion that shattered it to pieces as Jake landed beside Johnny.
"Fool you twice," The Green Ranger chuckled. "Shame on you."
Over with Cyrax, the other three were having far less success. The armored knight, shifted his feet, leaning back as Ray glided past with his sword. The purple blade slashed against the Red Ranger's suit, but by the time Ben Hilary descended upon him, he was ready for their attack.
Hilary reached him first, sais slashing wildly in a furious flurry, each blow effortlessly parried before Cyrax found an opening and knocked her back with a kick. Ben was next, hammer swinging like mad as he tried to land a heavy blow on the warrior. But Cyrax stepped aside, slicing his sword against Ben's back and sending him reeling to the ground.
"Need a hand?" Ray's head snapped up to see Jake and Johnny rushing toward them, opening fire with their pair of blasters. While Cyrax was fast enough to react, leaping into the air to avoid the blast booming below, it gave the Rangers an opening to regroup.
"How about we take this guy down?" said Johnny, staff materializing in his hand.
Ray shot a look at Cyrax. He'd landed in a crouch, in no position to dodge again so easily. The perfect target.
"Yeah!" their leader agreed. "Let's put it together!"
Snapping their parts into position, Cyrax looked up to meet the barrel of the team's full weapon.
"Data Blaster! Fire!"
The cannon boomed as the energy seared straight at Cyrax, hitting him square in the chest and detonating. The explosion rocked him back, sending him flying into a nearby car that crumpled as he crashed. But it didn't destroy him.
As the warrior angrily got to his feet, they could see that his breastplate has scorched and dented, his steps a stumble as he lumbered forward.
Not down, but maybe now a more even fight. Which was not to his liking, apparently.
"You may have one this round, Rangers," he snarled, "but this isn't over! Not by long shot!"
And then he vanished.
"Hmmmm" Kelgar muttered. "It looks like Cyrax isn't going to crash hot either."
He cast a weary look at his master. From his throne, Gideon was fuming, his hands curled into tight fists that Kelgar knew would be coming at him if he didn't conjure a distraction before Cyrax returned. Good thing he had just the thing.
"Very well master," he decided. "Firing the data recovery beam."
The jet of light descended from the sky, engulfing and reassembling the steaming pieces of Bug-Eye. Drawing them together to reform its body, the monster began to grow before it was suddenly towering over the city.
"It'll take more than that to swat me for good!" it cackled.
"This trick's really starting to bug me," Jake noted from the ground. "Don't they ever try anything new?"
"The bigger they are," Ray decided. "The harder they splat. Let's zap this bug!"
"Right!" The team held forth their Morphers, screens lighting up as they called, "Data Zords! Digitize!"
"Guys be careful," Doc warned as mechanical animals materialized and they began to move from the Megazord. "That beam rests all the data. Its fuel reserves are back to what they started at."
"Thanks, Doc," said Ray, "We'll be careful."
The docking sequence was completed, and the five machines combined to form the armored warrior. "Server Patrol Megazord! Online!"
The ground quaked Megazord stepped forward, ready to face the monster yet again.
"Ray," Jake suggested. "Switch to the shield. I've got an idea."
"You got it! Engage Eagle Wing Shield!"
The green swings snapped to the arm, just Bug-Eye began another supersonic charge. It barreled against the Megazord, but while the shield took the blow from the front, Bug-Eye quickly hit them again from the back.
"Ray!" Jake called as the whole cockpit swung from side to side as the Megazord struggled to stay upright. "When it starts to run, swing out the spare arm!"
"It could control its speed when it was small," Johnny agreed. "But now it's too big and bulky like this to react last minute."
"On it!"
The hulking right arm heaved into the air. Then Ray yanked the controls, hauling the Megazord into a mighty blow. In the tight confines of the city's tall buildings, Bug-Eye had nowhere to run.
The giant elbow cracked against Bug-Eyes neck, swinging it into a clothesline as the monster collided at top speed. Its eyes grew even wider as it flew across the street, skidding over the road and crumbling to the ground.
Right where they wanted to. Down and still recovering, the Ranger saw their opening and took it.
"I think it's time for you to buzz off!" Jake laughed as the Rangers inputted their weapons command.
"Terabyte Sabre!"
The mighty blade flashed into the hand, the mighty machine lunging forward into a devastating strike.
Bug-Eye was barely standing as it saw the Megazord charging towards it, spiny hands raised to shield its face and shaking as it realized it had nowhere to run.
"No!' Bug-Eye screamed, "That's a real fly in my ointment!"
The glowing blade connected, striking into Bug-Eye's quivering form and rendering it in two. Torn asunder, its body exploded into flames as the Megazord lumbered past, a column of fire towering into the sky and obliterating every shred of data. And as the smoke cleared with the monster felled for another day, the Megazord stood tall above the city, mighty and triumphant.
The next day, Jake stepped out of History to see his friends gathered in the hall, waiting.
"Well?" asked an excited Hilary.
"How'd you go?" added Johnny.
Jake looked depressingly at the floor. "Well…"
"Oh, dude?' comforted Ray.
Then Jake looked up, grin beaming from ear to ear from a joke well placed.
"A-" he said triumphantly.
Bursting into laughter, the four jumped on him, swarming him in a giant group hug that refused to let go.
"Apparently, my answer to the question 'Are our technological achievements superior?' was quite insightful," Jake explained when he was finally allowed to gasp for air.
"And what did you talk about exactly?" Johnny asked.
"How our earth technology was useless compared to the alien ones we encountered during the galactic invasion of '98, and that only the Power Rangers, whose equipment was of Alien origin, were able to combat it. That it's because we've been able to learn from other technologies that we were able to launch the Terra Venture colony or equip the Silver Guardians. In short, it's not our working on our own that makes us strong, but with others. Working together."
"See," Ben said to Johnny with a knowing smirk. "I told you that talking about the Rangers would work out for him."
"That was a lucky shot, and you know it!" Hilary insisted beside him.
And while Jake, Ray, and Johnny strode triumphantly in celebration, the twins continued their bickered the whole way to The Shak and well into the afternoon.
That evening, Doc sat alone in the warehouse, sorting through the files on his computer. He had to admit, the kids were doing great. They were taking every problem in their stride, far exceeding anything he could have ever expected. Maybe, just maybe, they could do this.
A slight chill had snaked inside, and he'd no sooner risen to close the door when a soft ringing sounded from the terminal. Doc paused. Someone was trying to contact him, but no one should have even had his number.
No one, except…
Doc raced the computer, snatching that mouse and clicking the green icon that opened the call. Then, he carefully guided the cursor to a second icon and clicked record.
What greeted him was a face that he'd long thought lost. A man, looking well worse for wear and dressed in torn military combat fatigues was staring down the end of the webcam. His once crew-cut red hair was scruffy and ruffled like it hadn't been tended to for months, and his sharp green eyes stared through the cam, trembling with fear.
"Julian?" he pleaded. "Julian are you there?"
"I'm here, Kyle," said Doc, heartrate rising with every second. He'd thought Kyle was gone, that Gideon had got to him and silenced him for good. But here he was, staring through the screen in real-time! But whatever hopes Benson had were dashed as Kyle spoke again.
"You've got to help me," he begged. "Gideon's holding me prisoner. I managed to break free but not for long. He always gets to me! You've got to remove the data, Benson. Remove the data!"
From there Doc could only watch in horror, hand snapping to cover his gaping mouth as the scene unfolded in front of him. Kyle's screaming, the flash of light. And when it was all over, a new face appeared on the monitor.
The visored appearance of Cyrax.
"Sorry, Doctor Benson," he chuckled. "But your friend isn't going anywhere. I hope you enjoyed the show. We'll be seeing each other real soon."
And then the connection died.
Doc stared, wide-eyed and stunned at what he'd witnessed. For so long he'd wondered how it was that Gideon had been able to find the second Digitizer. How he'd known how to look for the signal to hack remotely. And now he knew.
The one person that Doc had trusted, the other only other person to walk away from project Digitizer. Gideon had him.
Gideon had Kyle.
NEXT TIME: A loner for too long, Johnny is given a chance to join Ray's band when an opening occurs. But is Johnny ready to take the chance and show Cranston City what he can do? And with Gideon's monster attacks becoming seemingly never-ending, will he get the chance to even play? Or will Gideon's latest creation spell doom for the Power Rangers?
Find out next time on:
POWER RANGERS: DATA SQUAD
Johnny Play Goode
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.
