"So let me get this straight," said Doc, fingers pressed against his forehead in exasperation. "Not only did you get separated from your team, but the two of you were so busy arguing about directions that you didn't notice a horde of Byte-Bots and Cyrax creep up behind you?"

"Sure," reasoned Ben. "When you put it that way it just makes us sound immature and incompetent,"

Doc just released a heavy sigh and slunk into his chair. Hilary stood sheepishly beside her brother, barely able to look up at her teammates.

"We're really sorry," was all that she was able to muster. Professor Murphy was one of her heroes, the last person she'd ever want falling to enemy hands, and she'd failed him. He was everything she aspired to be, someone in the computing business that had both knowledge and charisma. And now he was in the hands of a maniac.

And worst of all, she'd failed the team. Ray had thrown himself into the horde to help her get away, Johnny and Jake battling outside to hold the line. The hoops Doc must have jumped through to keep their identities safe while morphing, and all of it was for nothing.

All because her dimwit brother had a compulsive need to disagree with everything she said, no matter what. And he just didn't even seem to care. Slowly she rose her head, her shameful remorse boiling into anger, her expression twisting into a withering glare as growled. "You should have listened to me."

As the words left her mouth Ben's jovial attitude dropped, eyes rolling in scoffing rebuke. "Here we go!"

"Couldn't you just have listened to me?" she hissed. "Just once? Are you that determined to fight with me over everything that even a simple left turn is something you have to debate?"

"Fine, go about with your, 'I told you so' attitude," Ben shouted back. "Be right all the time, see where that gets you! It's certainly not going to help us get the Professor back!

"At least I'm smart enough to tell when I'm wrong! You're barely smart enough to peel a banana!"

With a huff, both teens spun their backs in spite, storming from the warehouse in opposite directions and leaving their teammates standing in the wake. She didn't even look back as she reached the door, fury combusting within her and fueling every step. It led her out the door, winding through the warehouses and back into the city, through the towering buildings, and into the park. It was when she hit the river that at last, she allow herself to stop. Then dropped down by the bank, nothing but the anger sizzling beneath her skin.

Normally, there was something about the River that cleared her head. The rippling of the water, the rustling of the surrounding trees. The solitude, where she could just be alone with her head. But now even that didn't seem to be enough, her breathing too tight and rapid as it seethed between her teeth. Her hand snapped to the ground, snatching up a stone beside her as her rage rose her to her feet, roaring as he hurled it at the current. It hit the surface with a deep shhplop and splashed right down to the riverbed.

She'd never been this angry at him, never. Not when he'd eaten her half of their 'shared' birthday cake when they were four. Not when he'd broken her laptop, again, that time she lent it to him after he'd already broken his own, again.

Not even in the fifth grade when he'd made a speech in front of the whole school about how 'wonderful' it was to be a twin. That time it'd been so bad that she'd run from the hall crying and spent most of the afternoon curled in a ball in the hallway. No, that was nothing compared to this.

This time, she really was going to kill him.

"Penny for your thoughts?" offered a warm and comforting voice behind her. It cut through her consciousness, a shock to the system that severed the rhythm of her rage and snapped her back to the present. The tone was calming, in a way that she couldn't describe, and Hilary slowly turned to see Ray standing behind her.

"I hope you're rich," she suggested, "because I've got a lot."

With a chuckle, Ray stepped closer, kneeling to find a comfy spot on the bank beside her. He made no motion of insistence, but the silent offer was there. To join him, if she wanted. Feeling her hand relax, Hilary dropped the stone she was about to cast, before slowly lowering to sit down beside him.

For a long while, they sat in silence, not because they didn't know what to say, but because they didn't need to. They knew. It was only when Hilary was ready that, at last, she let the thoughts come out. "I just don't get why we're so different, you know?"

Ray just chuckled and shook his head, "Sorry, only child remember?"

"Right."

The silence returned, and they both continued to sit there, grasping at the pebbles to occasionally toss them and watch the ripples part across the water. After a few more minutes, it was Ray's turn to break the silence.

"I get that he drives you crazy…" he began.

"He's going to have me committed," Hilary scoffed.

"Why do you think he does it?" Ray asked. "Argue with you all the time?"

"Because he can!" Hilary insisted. "Because he's immature, and only cares about his stupid cars, and because Mom and Dad always just…"

She stopped, the words refusing to form in her mouth as if speaking them aloud would make them true. As if keeping them silent would stop them from being so. But as she looked at Ray and that damn all-knowing look he had, she knew that holding them back wouldn't change reality.

It would be so easy to just say he was jealous, that he lived in envy of his sister's brilliance while he was barely scraping by. But that wouldn't make it true. Because Ben was smart, she saw that every time he applied it to what he loved. He could stare at an engine block for thirty seconds and then recite the components by heart while blindfolded. And yet those accomplishments would never receive the same recognition as her own.

Two kids, born at the same time, one of them always feeling like second best.

"Have you ever wondered what he might think?" Ray asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You're the smart one," Ray pointed out. "The one who gets all the prizes, all the praise. He probably thinks you're the apple of your parent's eye. Maybe he disagrees just because arguing with you is the only way he can feel equal."

All true. But that didn't take away his fault.

"It's not my fault that Mom and Dad don't appreciate him," she said.

"You're right," Ray agreed. "It's not. And it's not fair that he takes his feelings out on you. But I can tell you that I'm stuck in the middle of you two a lot, so I think it's safe to say I've become a bit of an expert."

Hilary looked back at the water as Ray picked a flat stone from the pile beside him and tossed it. She watched as it skip, just once, before sinking ahead of where the others had dropped.

"Do you remember that day in the fifth grade?" he asked. "When Ben made that speech?"

Her anger suddenly flashed to embarrassment, her cheeks sizzling to a blazing shade of pink as she looked well away from him and the memories came flushing back. Of her horror at Ben's mocking in front of the school, of her running from the hall in a flood of tears. And of Ray being the one to find her, to help dry her eyes and tell her it would be okay. How he'd sat with her then, just as he did now, holding her, letting her cry, and telling her that he thought she was amazing. How he'd held her by the hand and led her back to class when she was ready.

"Did Ben ever tell you that he was the reason I found you?" Ray asked. "He got off the stage and looked like someone had died. He had a chance to talk in front of the whole elementary school, and he used it as a chance to make fun of you. I don't think I've ever seen anyone hate themselves as Ben did at that moment."

No, that couldn't be right. That didn't add up.

"Oh yeah?" she said. "Then why wasn't he the one come to find me?"

"Because he knew you," Ray replied. "And he knew that he was the absolute last person that you wanted to see. But he wanted to make sure you were okay, so he sent me."

She'd probably cried into his shoulder for a good half an hour before she'd let him take her back. And he'd done that for Ben? Because Ben knew he wouldn't be able to do it himself?

"I'm not excusing what he does," said Ray. "But he does love you. He just needs to find a new way to show it."

"Maybe I can give him something," said Hilary, almost without thinking. "Give him a way to feel valued without having to fight with me all the time."

A conclusion that Ray had probably come to long ago, and somehow still made it feel like her idea. Sneaky.

"Ever consider being a shrink?" she asked with a cheeky knowing grin.

"Well," Ray replied bashfully, "I did once, but then I realized that I couldn't sit on the cool couch if I was the doctor."

Hilary laughed. Just like that, her mood was lightened. Ray always had a way of doing that.

Every time.

"Here," Ray stretched out his hand and opened it. A smooth, flat stone lay in his palm. "I found you a good one."

Hilary reached and took it, feeling the tips of her fingers brush against his skin as they curled around the rock. Then, getting a good wind-back, she flung it to water, watching it skim a good five times before at last shhploping down into the river.

"Hey, Ray?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

For a moment, just one, the two teens stood staring at each other in the serene and blissful silence. Just the two of them, and no one else. As if for that moment, nothing else, no one else, mattered. Not Ben, not Gideon, nor his goons. No one.

For the moment, his eyes caught her own, looking into them so deeply she could've sworn she would melt. Like her legs were about to give way, forcing her to fall into his arms. Heaven help her, she realized she wanted to. And from the look Ray was giving her, a shimmering mixture of wonder and awe, it almost seemed like he wanted her to as well…

Then the sharp beep of their Morphers pierced the air, banishing the moment to depths of memory. Both teens looked away, almost snapping in embarrassment as Ray snatched his first and brought it to his lips.

"We're here, Doc" Ray responded, "What's happening."

"You guys better get down here," came the reply, "There's something you need to see."


"He's holding him hostage?" said Jake in disbelief as he stared at the viewscreen "Why would he do that?"

"It's definitely a trap," Ray observed, "I think the idea is for us to try and take him back, and in the meantime, a virus destroys the city."

"I agree," said Doc, motioning towards another screen. A large, skeletal minotaur was right below the building where Cyrax had the professor hostage, stomping around the square and cackling as the citizens fled in terror.

"Gaarrrgggghhh!" it delighted. "I am Skele-Taur! Tremble before me!"

"Looks like we're going to have to split," Johnny realized.

"Woah," said Jake. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean Doc said they could have used Benson's programming to make upgrades. What if we can't take that monster with just three of us."

"We don't have a choice," Ray admitted. "We either split the team, or we let one half do what they want. We don't have to destroy the monster, we just need to hold it off until the others get Benson to safety."

"All right," Jake conceded. "So, who's going where?"

"The three of us will hold off the monster," Ray decided, pointing to Jake and Johnny. "Hilary and Ben will go after the professor."

"WHAT?" The outburst was the first agreement the twins had had all day.

Hilary could just tell that it was taking all of Ray's effort to hide his smirk. He'd probably been planning that all along. Ass.

"You can do it guys," he assured them, "Don't worry, you've got this."

The twins stared at each other, neither sure what to make of it. To be honest, Hilary was still furious, even after her talk with Ray, and just knew asking Ben to apologize would turn into another argument. But Murphy needed their help. She could settle the problems with her brother later. Instead, she focused her attention on the building.

"Okay," she decided. "So, how're we getting to him?"

On the rooftop, forty-six floors up. No doubt every stairwell and elevator would be crawling with Byte-Bots. But then Ben did something she didn't expect.

"Plan of action?" he offered.

Hilary was taken aback, stuck for words her brother turned to earnestly. No quips, no sarcasm, just straight to business. And then she kicked herself, the first time her brother was offering to listen, and she was drawing a blank.

"Go up and make sure he isn't dropped?" suggested Hilary nervously. "Honestly, I'm stumped. If Cyrax is willing to stand on that rooftop, you can bet he's placed a gauntlet of Byte-Bots below for us to fight through."

She braced herself for what was coming. The crowing, the boasting. The mighty Hilary? Stuck? But instead, Ben gave a soft smile and clicked something on the screen.

"I think I might have something for that," he said, as the viewscreen zoomed out and showed a broader perspective of the city. "He might have the building below filled with Byte-Bots, but I bet that he hasn't covered all the buildings around it. Doc, can you scan the other towers?"

Benson nodded and began hurriedly tapping at the keys. Moments later, Cyrax's tower lit up like a Christmas tree, while the other remained dull and empty.

"So, all we've got to do is climb up one of the other buildings and jump across," said Ben proudly. "Shouldn't be a problem with our Ranger powers."

It was actually a pretty good plan, and Hilary was already cursing herself for not seeing it earlier. But that still left a glaring problem.

"Okay, but what's to stop Cyrax from dropping Murphy to his doom the second we make a move."

But that's where Ben's smile turned devilish.

"That's the best part," he said. "We don't."

Any other time, Hilary would have told him to shut up and stop suggesting something so stupid. But there was something in the way he said it that made her pause. Like it wasn't just a stray idea he was tossing into the world, but a key part of his plan. The hinges that everything else moved around. A growing tingling sniggled at the back of her mind as Hilary began to see what her brother was getting at.

"Go on..."


Standing on the edge of the rooftop, Hilary realized that she'd never truly appreciated how sprawling Cranston City was until that very moment. Down on the ground, it was hard to gain a sense of the true extent of the city limits, appreciating the way it rolled into the valley nestled between the hills.

Or maybe she was just trying to distract herself from what was coming next.

Somehow Ben had decided that the best building to jump from was the one even bigger than her target. What was worse was that she'd immediately seen that he was right; the downward trajectory would make a pinpoint landing considerably easier.

She just had to not look down.

She'd left the boys down below, letting them rush the skeletal minotaur as she bolted into the skyscraper and headed for the stairs. It was a long way up, and she was suddenly very glad she'd morphed before entering; bounding the steps five at a time, she hit the floor with plenty of breath to spare. It was only when she'd reached the top that she realized just how high up she was. And just how far away her jump was going to be. Maybe she should have argued with Ben about the plan.

Then her brother's voice buzzed through the com.

"I'm in position."

Too late to back out, she took another glance at the gap and immediately regretted it. The ground seemed to speed away from her, the drop growing with every second. She'd managed the stairs fine, but did she really know if her powers could manage that jump? She could hit halfway and plummet, spiraling down to her doom! Or maybe she'd overdo it, miss, by a mile for the same result.

"Ben…" she started stammered, "I don't know if this is such…"

"Hilary," he cut her off. It wasn't a curt dismissal, but soft and sincere. Like he knew what she was about to say. And he was ready for it. "You've got this. And if anything goes wrong, I'm between the two buildings. I can catch you."

Because he was there for her. He was always there for her. Even when she didn't realize it, even when the mess was his making. And after everything that had happened, after all, she'd said to him in the full fury of her anger, he still had her back. He still believed in her.

This whole plan hinged on her making the jump, and he believed wholeheartedly that she could do it.

Because she had to do this.

And she would.

"Okay," she decided, as much for herself as anyone else as she stepped back and readied a run-up. "Then get ready."

"Try to steer him to my side of the building, I'll be ready."

"Got it."

She took one last look at the awaiting edge, the plunging threshold that called to her with sinister intent. Like it was chuckling at her, daring her to back down. To fail. Then a deep breath for luck, Hilary took off. Every step hammered the ground, picking up speed before finally reaching the edge.

With no more roof, she willed her legs to spring, propelling into the air in the surrendering embrace of her momentum. And then she soared. The rush was exhilarating, gravity bending to her will as the wind rippled past her like ribbons at a finish line. Then she narrowed her eyes, smoothing her body to a dive, and rocketed toward her target. The rooftop boomed in size, inertia boosting her toward her landing and ripping past Cyrax. She crouched into a powerful landing, slamming into the ground before slowly rising and turning toward her foe.

Glaring at Cyrax in a daring challenge. "Hey! Astro Boy!"

"What?" shocked at her arrival, the warrior spun around, Murphy still in his grip as he stumbled to the edge of the rooftop and away from Hilary.

Her sais flashing to her hands, she flipped around tips and pointed them in a warning. "You want to hand him over now? Or would you like a butt-kicking first?"

Cyrax was undeterred. "Take one step closer and it will be the end of him!" Murphy gurgled, his scream muffled by the grip on his neck as Cyrax stepped to the edge and dangled him over the fifty-story drop.

"And lose your bargaining chip?" Hilary scoffed. "I don't think so."

"Fine then." Said Cyrax, "You're call, not mine."

His hand released, Murphey's eyes bulging as gravity snatched him and pulled. His arms flailed, scream now loosening as he plummeted to his doom.

Hilary didn't waste a second. "Ben! Go! Now!"

He better be ready.

Shocked by her show of stoicism, Cyrax spun to the edge. But as he did, he was too far away and helpless to stop what was unfolding. Down below, the unmorphed Blue Ranger was running at top speed, feet bounding off the building as he bolted toward the falling Murphy. But it wasn't going to be enough. Cyrax had thrown him too far out, well beyond Ben's reach.

But Ben didn't stop, reaching for his Morpher as he sprinted, "Data Squad! Digitize!"

The sapphire light flared as he launched himself from the glass, far out into the open air with his arms outstretched. Right into the path of Murphey's descent. The Blue Ranger collided with the tumbling professor, snatching him from flight and propelling him across to the other side. Then, clutching him close as the final distance narrowed, Ben crashed through a window on the other side, safe.

Watching it all from the rooftop, Hilary allowed herself to release the tightly held gasp of relief.

"Another happy landing," Ben laughed through the com.

"Nice catch!"

But Hilary's problems were far from over. Furious at his plan being thwarted, Cyrax spun around with sword drawn.

"You will pay for your insolence!" he roared.

"Bring it."

Her blades snapped in front as the sword came down, blocking in a shower of sparks as she spun around and struck. Too eager! Her hands engaged, Cyrax found the gap and hurled a punch, slamming her chest to send her flying back. The door broke the fall, cracking from the impact as she collided with a painful crunch.

She hit the ground, groaning as she tried to rise. But she wasn't fast enough. Cyrax was already on her, boot planted on her back to keep her down, the tip of his sword glistening as he prepared to plunge it through.

"At least I can take satisfaction in destroying one of the Rangers today," he snarled.

"Hey, Tin-can!"

Cyrax spun as a blue steak launched into the air. Ben, hammer ready, had launched himself from the opposite building and raced to his sister's defense. He held the weapon high, racing through the air and winding back to bring it down at full strength.

As Cyrax spun, his weight on Hilary's back loosened. Big mistake. She slapped away him away, rolling behind and striking in her sais. Cyrax howled as the sparks kicked off his armor, stumbling forward with attention caught between two fronts. Right as Ben closed the distance and pummeled his hammer struck right into the breastplate.

The blow sent Cyrax soaring, shockwave erupting from the impact and the jumping force behind it. He tumbled across the concrete, skidding to a stop as his hand grasped the floor.

"You really should have seen that coming," Ben chuckled, "I mean really."

"Plan now?" asked Hilary.

"Thought we'd try blasting him," he replied, pulling out his Modem Blaster. "You know, Shake things up a little?"

"Good idea!"

Pistols brandished and ready, they opened fire, peppering Cyrax with lasers as the warrior's arms flailed and knocked him to the ground once more. With their weapons level as the smoke began to clear and Cyrax struggled to his feet, they stood ready and waiting for their enemy to make a move.

"Feel like giving up?" Hilary taunted.

"This fight bores me," Cyrax snarled. "I will return when you present an actual challenge."

And then instead of charging, he simply stepped off the roof.

"What?" Ben exclaimed, rushing to the edge to see the falling Cyrax vanish in a familiar flash of green. "That figures."

"Guess we'll be seeing him again," Hilary agreed.

One problem down, another to go.

"Do we want to take the long way or the short way?" Ben offered.

Doc had insisted that their Rangers suits could make any jump, up or down. Until leaping from the building Hilary hadn't been willing to believe it. But now…

"Definitely the short way."

And then she and her brother leaped from the building to the square below.

The Rangers rocketed downwards, the boy's battle with Skele-Taur spiraling into view as they plummeted. Blasters already out, the Blue and Yellow Rangers opened fire. The skeleton shrieked and stumbled back as the surprising rain from above streaked against their limbs, shots falling like unfurling ribbons as they peppered against their bones.

The duo somersaulted into an easy landing, spinning around to join their teammates.

"Do they go out of their way to make these things uglier every time?" asked Ben.

"Shame we didn't ask on the roof," Hilary laughed.

"Shall we?" Ben offered.

"Yeah, let's put it together!"

As the monster recovered from the barrage, the team raced to snap their weapons into position, leveling the barrel of the canon down upon it.

"Data Blaster! Fire!"

Skele-Taur didn't even have time to scream. The blaster erupted, energy booming outwards and colliding with the virus, blossoming into a mighty explosion that scattered the bones to the ground like a cluster of skittles. As the steaming sticks of sinew clattered against the concrete, the Rangers split the cannon apart and readied for what was coming.

"Doc? Hilary asked over the com, "got the Zords ready?"

"Someone's impatient."

Then the familiar green light rippled across the sky, baring down on the remains before springing them back to life.

"Miss me already?" Skele-Taur laughed. "Because I've got a bone to pick with you!"

"You were saying?" Hilary chuckled.

"All right, they're ready, go for it."

"Zord Powers, Digitize!"

The mechanized animals burst from the Morphers, snapping into position as the Rangers leaped into the cockpits. Hilary steered the tiger with ease, positioning it beside Ben's wolf to form the legs before the chair pulled her backward into the cockpit. Moments later, the Rangers sat together, ready to face their foe.

"Server Patrol Megazord, Online!"

"Don't get so eager!" Skele-Taur laughed. "You know what they say, mess with the bull, and you get the HORNS!"

The virus lunged, charging with their prongs leveled and head poised to collide with the Server patrol's Chest. But the Rangers were more than ready.

"Too slow!"

Ben and Hilary yanked the controls in synch, shifting the legs to brace. As Skele-Taur closed the gap, the Megazord's arms lashed wide, grabbing hold as the two giants made contact. The cockpit rumbled, shaking side-to-side as the Megazord took the impact and held. And then they threw them.

Skele-Taur's eyes snapped wide as their feet were lifted from the ground, flailing their arms as the Server Patrol hoisted the monster above its head.

"Wait!" it screamed.

"Ready to bowl for a strike, sis?" Ben chuckled.

"After you!"

With a powerful sweep, the Megazord hurled the monster away, the bones rattling as Skele-Taur tumbled across the asphalt. By the time it struggled to its feet, the ranger had taken their opening. Ray slammed his hand on the dial, raising the machine's hand to summon their weapon.

"Terabyte Saber!"

Slowly turning, the virus' jaw dropped as they watched the broadsword thunder into the Megazord's grip.

"Oh no!" they cried. "I'm boned!"

Energy crackled along the blade, the Megazord surging forward as it arced the sword into a mighty swing and cleaved through the monster. The blade made contact with a flash, slicing through the form as the Server Patrol bounded past, stopping only when it was well and truly clear of the monster.

"Same time next week?" Hilary laughed, Skele-Taur flailing their arms behind them and tumbling to the ground.

And then they exploded. The giant skeletal bull vanished in a mighty ball of flame, bursting apart and disintegrating as the flames scorched into the sky. And then the smoke cleared, nothing of it remained. The city was safe for another day.


"So, he just… retreated?" asked Doc, mouth agape as Ben and Hilary recounted their battle with Cyrax.

"Yeah," Ben grinned. "Jumped straight off the roof."

"Wow."

They were back at the warehouse, riding the high of their win. With Skele-Taur destroyed, Ben and Hilary had gone back for Professor Murphy, whom Ben had gotten to hide inside the building. Once they'd escorted him back to his residence and were certain that Gideon wouldn't try again, they'd doubled back to their command center to celebrate with the others.

But for all the reveling in their victory, something was still bugging Hilary.

"Doc?" she said. "You told us that you were worried that Gideon would use Murphy's programming to make his viruses stronger, but that was probably the easiest one we've fought."

Even more concerning was Murphy's inability to tell them what Gideon had wanted. It seemed that his entire time in the villain's custody was a giant blur. Doc nodded in equally worried agreement.

"I don't know," he admitted. "He must have sent that thing more as a distraction than a threat. But whatever he wanted with that data, it can't good. We need to be ready."

"We will be," Ben said triumphantly. "Besides, it can't be anything that Hilary can't unravel."

The sudden compliment made her freeze, seeing the statement for what it was. An olive branch.

Which meant now it was her turn.

"Hey," she said to her brother, nodding toward a quiet corner of the warehouse. "Can we talk?"

Ben looked back at their friends, all of whom were nodding encouragingly.

"Yeah," he said. "Let's talk."

That talk ended up lasting for hours, each one trying hard to listen without interrupting. Trying to see the other.

"I just don't get how you can't take things seriously," Hilary said. "It's like everything's falling apart around you and you just want to make jokes."

"But I do take it seriously," Ben said. "Cracking jokes is how I stop myself from freaking out. It helps me think straight, come up with a way of fixing things." Then he added. "I'm sorry if it just makes things tenser."

Hilary nodded, the answer seeming so obvious now that he said it out loud. "I'm sorry too. Maybe I should learn to loosen up a little, sometimes."

And so they talk some more, so long that the Rangers started filing out. Eventually, even Doc started turning off the lights, telling them that he needed to duck out for supplies, and asking them to lock the firewall before they left.

The final one to leave was Ray, smiling as his best friend and their sister seemed to finally be getting along.

"Good night, guys," he told them.

"Good night, Ray," Hilary smiled back.

It was only when the Red Ranger was well and truly gone that Ben spun back around to her, a cheeky grin stretching from ear to ear.

"So," he asked, knowingly, "How long have you been into my best friend?"

Hilary's eyes snapped wide, cheeks flush bright scarlet as she desperately tried to hide her face. "What? No… that's ridiculous… I mean, it's like you said, he's your best friend, and…"

"Come on," said Ben. "I've seen the way you look at him. You can't honestly tell me you don't think about it."

Then she looked up at her brother and realized just how much trouble she was in. He'd seen right through her. Well and truly.

"How long have you known?" she asked in sullen defeat.

"Probably well before you did."

"Don't say anything to him, okay?" she begged. "It's just some stupid crush, it doesn't mean anything."

"Suuure it doesn't," Ben chuckled before adding sincerely. "Don't worry, it's safe with me."

Hilary released a long sigh of relief. "Thank you," she said. "I just don't want to make it weird; you know?"

"Oh, trust me," said Ben as he moved toward the computer terminal. "It's already plenty weird. Now, do you want to lock up the shields? Because I've got no idea how this thing works."

"Sure thing."

She slid into the central chair and opened up the main terminal. Doc had shown her once before how to operate the firewall, and it looked simple enough. But clicking through, a new screen popped open in front of her.

"Oops, I don't mean to do that."

"Oooh, but while it's open…" suggested Ben. "What do we have here?"

"We shouldn't," Hilary warned, but her brother had already reached for the mouse and begun to click through.

"If he didn't want us to see it," said Ben, "he would have locked the folder… or… something. You can do that right?"

Hilary rolled her eyes. "Yes, you can lock folders."

"See, then there can't be anything on here he wouldn't want us seeing." Then his eyes lit up. "What there's something really embarrassing?"

Hilary sighed, knowing full well there was no changing Ben's mind now that it was set. "All right, fine. Just one to shut you up. Then we're leaving."

"Fine by me," he grinned, already scrolling through the files. "Hmm, I wonder what is?"

He double-clicked and the window snapped open. The video looked as if it was shot from a webcam, of a man sitting in front with a look of absolute terror in his eyes.

"Julian?" he called out. "Julian are you there?"

Then Benson's voice came through the speakers, sounding desperate and alarmed. "I'm here, Kyle!"

"This is a private call," Hilary realized, immediately looking back at her brother. "We shouldn't be watching this.

But Ben was glued to the screen, curiosity grasping tight as he continued to stare at events unfolding on video. "Hang on..."

"You'vegottohelpme," Kyle begged. "Gideon's got me, prisoner. I can break free but not for long. He always gets to me! You've got to remove the Data, Benson. Remove the data!"

Then the man clutched his head in pain, falling over as the chair clattered backward. Light began flashing from the bottom of the screen, growing in intensity as Kyle's screams faded and were replaced by a deep, menacing laugh. A laugh they knew all too well. A hand, clad in armor, reached up and reefed itself upwards.

Hilary gasped as Ben flinched beside her and suddenly Cyrax's visor was staring at them from the other side of the screen.

"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."

Then the video went dead.

Ben and Hilary could only stare at the screen, before slowly turning to look at each other.

Cyrax wasn't a virus like other monsters, he was a person.

And Doc had known all along.


NEXT TIME-

The Rangers grapple with the knowledge of Cyrax's true identity and the revelation of Doc's secrecy. But while they prepare to face their nemesis again, they're presented with even more daunting questions, ones that threaten to tear the team apart. Why did Benson keep this from them? What else is he hiding? And can they even trust him at all?

Find out next time on:

POWER RANGERS- DATA SQUAD

The Rescue- Part 1


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.