Episode 11:

Powerless- Part 2

Ray opened his eyes, wearily lifting the heavy, shadowed veil as the morning light pierced through the bedroom window. His first night sleep without worry about Byte-Bots, monsters, or egomaniacs.

He'd barely slept a wink.

He'd hoped to feel better after a rest, but instead, it just seemed to make it worse. The weather wasn't helping; doing all it could to dismiss his mood instead of stewing with him in solidarity. Bright and sunny, the sky was open and inviting, calling him to make use of the day instead of sulking in his room. Maybe it would help him feel better, to go out and see what could be done with his now ample free time. Get his mind off the friends he'd left behind.

It couldn't hurt at least, maybe some exercise would do him good.

Half an hour later he was dressed, fed, and tying his sneakers at the front door. Behind him, he could hear the morning bulletin on the TV, and his gut seized at the news.

"Cranston City experienced the highest volume of robot attacks on record," the announcer claimed. "While not as large in scale as the attack on the City Square a few weeks ago, this marks the highest volume of incidents in a twenty-four-hour period since the attacks first began last fall. Eye-witness accounts note that while the Power Rangers were present for the initial engagements, they have since disappeared. The recent attacks have left people wondering whether the Power Rangers are even still here to help us anymore."

His heart dropped, guilt panging as behind him his dad switched off the news. They'd stopped going out. Were they okay? He hadn't heard anything from them, although as he thought it, Ray remembered that he no longer had his communicator. Still, he had messenger, a phone, they could have filled him in.

But would they have even wanted to? Would they really waste their time filling in someone who was no longer on the team? Who'd turned their backs on them?

Did he even have any right to know anymore?

But even if they did still want to, what good would it have done? Without his Morpher, he'd just be dead weight. It would have been wasting time that they didn't have.

"Sounds bad out there," his dad commented as he stepped onto the porch with a steamy cup of coffee. "Are you sure you should be going out today?"

"I'll be okay," Ray promised. "If I see any danger, I'll run."

He supposed he had to now.

"Just stay safe okay," said his dad. "If the Power Rangers aren't showing up anymore, then the city is a lot less safe."

"I'm sure they've got a good reason," Ray replied. Not that he could tell his father that he knew what it was.

"Maybe they do, but that doesn't change the fact that they're not coming," his dad insisted. "Better plan for the worst and then be pleasantly surprised instead of the other way around. So if you see those robots, don't wait around for the heroes, and don't try being one yourself."

Not much chance of that anymore.

In hopes of changing the subject, Ray's dad looked down to realize that his son was dressed for exercise, his demeanor softening into a smile.

"Up early and going for a run?" he said. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"Never better," Ray replied, smiling with false bravado in hopes that he'd start to believe it himself. "I'll be back later."

"Ok-ay…"

Not believing him, his dad went back inside to enjoy his mandatory coffee while Ray rose to begin his jog up the street. But where to go…?

The park would be lovely on a day like this; the birds chirping, the sun shining through the trees. He might even be able to enjoy now that wouldn't be constantly going there to fight monsters. And then he could treat himself at Shak, a reward for a good run.

Then maybe, just maybe, he could start to get his mind off things.

Deciding it was as good a plan as any he picked up the pace and jogged up the street, determined to make the most of his first powerless day.


"Wait," Johnny realized as he looked at the readouts. "There were how many Byte-Bot attacks last night?"

"Eight," Doc replied, eyes drooping as he pulled them away from the screen. "It looks like Gideon's gone into full blitz mode. Throw as many problems as possible in hopes of some of them sticking."

But leaning against eh desk with his arms folded, Kyle shook his head in disagreement. "It's more than that. He's not just going for damage; he's trying to ruin any faith the city has in you."

"How's he doing that by sending out random Byte-Bots?" asked Ben.

"Think about it," said Kyle. "Byte-Bots attack, Power Rangers are a no-show, and the town starts to resent them. Maybe even wonder if they're still around. So, when Gideon finally decides to destroy you, no one will care. He's trying to add insult to injury."

"Why now?" Jake realized. "Until now he was hellbent on destroying us the first chance he got. Why's he pulling back now?"

"The square," Doc explained. "You guys took Gideon on in front of the whole city and won. You didn't just beat him, you humiliated him. And that means that now you're not just some problem that he's trying to deal with. Now it's personal, and he's going to make sure you feel it."

The three Rangers stared at the screens, gaping at the images of destruction that the Byte-Bots had wrought across the night. Broken windows, cars overturned, and smoke rising from the wreckage. Already some streets were deserted, with people too afraid to go outside.

"This was just one night," Ben realized. "How are things going to look if he keeps this up?"

"Why didn't you call us?" Johnny demanded. "We could have done something about this."

"Because that's exactly what Gideon would have wanted," said Doc. "You guys go down there, then next thing Mileena shows up, and maybe her virus buddy too. Then while you guys are dealing with that, the Byte-Bots are still running around causing havoc. And that's even before considering that it gives that spray-can another chance to zap your powers."

"They're trying to grind you down, exhaust you," Kyle agreed. "If they're attacking at such a regular rate then you guys would need a fairly coordinated attack plan to deal with them. And I don't know if you guys noticed, but you all seem to be a little lacking in teamwork at the moment."

As he said it, all three Rangers hung their heads, none wanting to think back to their last battle. But not wanting to hear it didn't make it any less true, and having Kyle confirm it aloud felt like a punch to the gut. Johnny wasn't used to this, making up plans and then changing them on the fly. Before he could just charge in, knowing his teammates would let him know where to fight and what to hit. Because he could rely on Ray to adapt as they went. But now he just felt lost, trying to coordinate everyone else while still figuring out what he was doing.

Their defeat yesterday had been entirely on him. The fact that the only reason they escaped was that Mileena let them go only made it worse. He guessed that was probably the point.

"Where's Hilary anyway?" Jake wondered, looking around to realize that their Yellow Ranger hadn't come in with her brother.

"She said there was a good chance that Doc was up all night," said Ben. "She was going past the Shak on the way in, said she'd get some coffee on the way."

Hearing the siren sound of the word 'coffee' Doc looked up from his workbench. It was only now that boys saw the bags under his eyes, the tiredness in his expression.

"It'd better be strong," Doc warned. "Because I didn't sleep a wink."

"I know there were plenty of attacks," Johnny replied. "But they weren't non-stop. You'd had to have been able to get some rest between the alerts, right."

Beside him, Kyle snorted. "Oh, he wasn't up because of the alerts."

"Then why'd you pull an all-nighter?"

Doc looked up at the Black Ranger with a tired smile. "Because I fixed Ray's Morpher."


By the time Ray reached the Shak, he was well and truly puffed. He'd managed to run the entire trek, looping around the park before doubling back into the city toward to cafe. But for his physical triumph, he'd also felt the mood of the city glooming around him. People were jumpy, rushing indoors wherever possible. As he ran through the main street he could see that some of the shops weren't open, a clear sign the people were worried about things to come.

That things were going to get worse.

Even the Shak was considerably emptier than usual, with the tables filled with barely half the usual occupants.

"Soda?" Bulk asked as Ray stepped to the counter, folding onto the surface with heavy breaths having finally allowed himself to slow.

"Nah," he managed to puff, "Just water."

Bulk handed over the bottle and Ray immediately cracked and guzzled it. The icy cold rushed against the walls of his chest, slowing his heart and breathing before slowly his strength returned.

"Is everything going okay with you guys?" Skull asked, coming behind his business partner while Ray had a mouth full of water. "Things looked pretty crazy last night."

Ray stopped, slowly gulping the liquid as he turned and looked at the two of them. They had no idea. They thought he was still on the team. They assumed that he'd be able to do something about the mess outside. They stared at him, like a pair of puppies desperate to know everything would be fine. A hope he couldn't bare to take away.

"Ah, yeah," Ray lied. "Peachy. I'm just going back to strategize with them now."

"Ray…?"

His heart thumped as he heard her voice, suddenly racing as if he'd returned to his run, spinning to see Hilary with a cardboard tray of coffee and just as surprised to see him.

"Ah, Skull," Bulk decided, quite loudly and with zero subtlety. "Remember that storeroom that we needed to organize?"

"Nah, Bulk," Skull insisted proudly. "I did the whole thing myself the other day. You said it was probably the best you'd ever seen it."

"Well maybe," Bulk replied purposefully, nodding over to Ray and Hilary, "We should take a second look."

Skull stopped, eyes widening as he too shot a glance at the two teens. "Oooohhhhh, riiiiiiiiight," he realized. "Yeah, we should definitely check that out."

The two café owners scurried out back with their trademark lack of subtly, leaving Ray and Hilary at the counter alone.

An awkward silence hung between them as they stared, neither of them knowing what to say. Her blue eyes flickered as they quickly scanned his body and Ray realized with all the sweat on his t-shirt was clinging tightly to his chest.

"Taken up running?" she asked, with a tone both amused and taken aback.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I haven't had a free Saturday in ages, so I figured I may as well."

And then the silence returned again, falling like a heavy, suffocating curtain.

Casting a look out the window, Hilary's expression saddened. "It's pretty crazy out there at the moment, huh?"

And there was guilt again, panging at his chest, a weight grabbing at his head and begging to sink and look away from her.

"Yeah," Ray admitted. "I saw a lot of it on my run. But I'm sure you guys will figure it out. You've beaten Gideon plenty of times before."

"Yeah, but…"

Hilary trailed off, but Ray did need her to finish. He knew what she wanted to add: back then they had him.

Then she looked up, her expression shifting from dour to hopeful. "Do want to grab a drink?" she asked him, only to cut him off as if immediately sensing his hesitance. "Come on; we were friends before we were Rangers. Just because we're not on the same team anymore, that doesn't mean we can't still be friends. Right?"

Ray looked at the sweet expression in her eyes; filled with the soft, hopeful offer. A beautiful expression that always brought a smile to his lips and lightness to his chest. That made him feel like agreeing to anything.

"I'd love to."

They slowly walked to an empty table and sat down, Hilary pulling a drink from the tray as Ray held onto his water. But as much as her invitation had been almost dreamlike, the awkwardness resumed as they took their seats, an unfinished, unspoken conversation dangling like a Damocles Sword; neither wanting to go near it.

"So how are things?" he asked.

"How's your face?" she replied with a smirk.

"It's okay," Ray smiled, only for his expression. "Why? Does it look like I've been kicked in the face?"

"Hmmm," Hilary squinted like she was intently examining an object. "I'll have to tell Johnny to hit you harder next time."

That one made him chuckle, and a smile cracked between Hilary's cheeks. But as the two of them laughed, it didn't last, and silence fell again as her face returned to sadness.

"Ray," she said softly. "Johnny told me, but I want to hear it from you. Why don't you want to come back?"

Ray could only look down, words choking in his throat as he couldn't bring himself to look at her. How could he tell her, admit it to her? It was hard enough telling Johnny the day before when it was fresh and in the heat of the moment.

But admit to Hilary?

It was like accepting the ultimate defeat. Not because he felt wrong in his choice, but because in telling her he knew that he'd lose something else. Something far more important than the team, or his Ranger powers. As if admitting the truth to Hilary would mean he'd lose her too.

But he couldn't lie, he owed her far more than that.

Slowly, Ray sunk deeper into his chair. "I just don't feel like I'm cut out for all of this," he said.

"That's crazy!" Hilary insisted. "How could you possibly mean that?"

"Think about it, Hilary. How many times have I walked us into a trap? Half the time we get our butts kicked, and we only pull through because of sheer dumb luck. If you guys had someone better leading you, then maybe we could have even beaten Gideon by now."

Hilary could only stare at him, mouth agape in disbelief. "So that's what this is about?" she asked him. "You think you've failed us as a leader?"

"You guys are in better hands," Ray replied, avoiding the question. "You've got Johnny leading you now."

"Why?" Hilary scoffed. "Because you flipped a coin, and then he won a fight?"

"He's a better fighter than me," Ray pointed out.

"Only because you push-!" Hilary stopped herself, blinking furiously as she looked away. Then she softened once more, voice cracking into a saddened, resigned chuckle. "Even when trying to push someone way, you're still doing what you do best."

Slowly, she moved her hand across the table and placed it on his own. Her touch was soft and warm, and Ray's heart leaped as he felt her palm close around his fingers. For a moment his pulse fluttered, flicking in synch with Hilary's own as their touch warmed each other. Then he looked up, deep into her beautiful blue eyes to see the silent, begging sincerity.

"Ray," Hilary said softly. "Do you know what your superpower is? I'll give you a hint, it's got nothing to do with red spandex or shooting lasers from your eyes."

Superpower? Hilary had cut him off, stealing the answers he would have gone to and leaving him searching for a reply. For any idea of what he could do of value. Giving up, Ray shook his head, uncertain as to where she was going.

And then Hilary smiled, that same beautiful that swelled at his heart and made him want to melt all over again. As if what she was telling him was the most important thing about him.

The most important thing to her.

"You bring out the best in people," she told him as her eyes began to shake and shimmer. "It's because of you that Ben and I aren't at each other's throats, and to the amazement of everybody Jake is actually passing his classes. Johnny could have just been some loner new kid, but not only now is he now one of our best friends, but he is killing it on stage in your band.

"You talk about him winning that fight, but Johnny only won because you pushed him to his limit. When all of this Ranger stuff first went down, we were lost and sacred; but you pulled us through, you kept us brave. And now we are helping this city in a way that I wouldn't trade for the world."

Tears were now trickling down, her breathing growing shuddered.

"You're an amazing leader, Ray. And not only that, but you're also an amazing person. The whole team is falling apart without you and it's been less than a day. You're like the glue that sticks us all together. Come back to us Ray, we need you."

But he did want to back, and at that moment he realized that he so desperately wanted nothing more. To see Hilary smile, to dry her eyes, and walk back in triumph. For everything to go back to the way it was. Where they reveled in their victories and lived like there was no tomorrow.

But as he sat there, feeling his body drawing across the table in a silent, consenting agreement, something grabbed hold and tugged back, like an invisible hand gripping on his shoulder; like a chain that refused to release. Because returning would mean placing their lives back into his hands. It would mean having the team place their trust in him, the last place it belonged. He wanted to be with them all again, by their side, but he couldn't be the reason they fell.

No matter how much he wanted to stay by their side, he knew it would only end in tragedy. That they were better off without him.

Slowly, he pulled his hand from hers.

"I'm sorry, Hil." Was all he could bring himself to say.

She sniffled, blinking away her tears as for a moment she could only stare with her hurt on full display. Then she snapped up from the table and grabbed the cardboard tray of drinks. "So am I."

And then she walked away, exiting the Shak and leaving Ray to sit at the table, alone.