Hilary's head was heavy, dizzy, blurry. Even as her eyes fluttered, the distortion of her vision slowly bled to clarity, dragging her surroundings into focus as her memory caught up to where she was: the orphanage, Tenaya; Ray screaming as everything went dark.
Then she felt it. The metal on her wrists, the hard floor beneath her legs. The post pressed into her back. As she looked around and her view began to clear, her eyes caught a figure looming in the corner of the room.
Tenaya.
"Comfy?" she snickered.
"Not really," Hilary said dryly, tugging at the restraints that connected her to the pole. They didn't budge.
"What?" asked Tenaya, "You thought we'd bring you here without some sort of insurance policy?"
"Maybe not," Hilary grinned, "but you've already made the number one bad guy mistake. Underestimating your opponent."
The metal flushed around her skin, surging new strength to her limbs as she yanked them forward. Only the chains didn't break, rattling harmless against the post. Hilary snarled as she tried again, then again. But still, they didn't break.
Tenaya laughed.
"Oops, seems we did think about that," she said. "It turns out we know all about your 'special powers' and decided to come prepared. Those cuffs were designed to hold infiltration units whose programming didn't quite set in. They'll be more than enough to hold you."
Hilary glared at her captor. "And here I thought one goon was annoying enough," she hit back. "Just what is your deal anyway?"
"I'm Tenaya, Generation Seven," the attack-bot said proudly. "Venjix Human Infiltration Attack-Bot. I am your thoughts, your minds. I am mankind's unconscious being. I am the final evolution of-"
"Torture-bot, got it," Hilary interrupted with a roll of her eyes. "At least that's what I'm guessing that speech is for."
"You may laugh, Yellow Ranger," Tenaya sneered. "But your time will come. And then you'll know that true torture is."
"You realize my friends are coming to get me, right?" Hilary told her. "And when they find me, you're going to be really sorry."
But Tenaya just gave a sinister smile.
"Oh, I don't just know they're going to find you," she said. "I'm counting on it."
GET IN GEAR- PART III
"Dammit!"
Ray's fist slammed on the table, feeling the retuning throb as his skin hit the metal. The others were equally as solemn. Johnny was leaning in the corner, looking down with an angry scowl. Ben and Jake were still sitting, each staring down at their clasping hands.
"How could we have been so stupid?" Ray hissed.
Dr. K looked over at him with a blank expression. "Simple; your thought process was overpowered by your overly dominant need to be needed, an irrational response that calls you to lunge into unnecessary danger whenever possible. Therefore when you were presented with the choice between listening to given advice and throwing yourself at the enemy, it rendered you incapable of listening to my ar-"
"Not helping." Ben snapped. Until then he'd been taking the news exceptionally well, especially given that while Ray and Johnny were in the thick of it, he had been forced to watch everything unfold via viewscreen. But beneath his words was a tone of rumbling anger, boiling ever closer to the surface,
"How did you guys manage to get over to the orphanage so fast?" asked Johnny the RPM Rangers.
"We were fighting that friend of yours when she suddenly took off," said Scott. "Doc K told us you were in trouble, so we rushed over instead of following her."
"So, it was their plan the whole time," Ray realized bitterly. "Mileena was a diversion to lure you guys away so Tenaya could get to us."
"How's the search going?" Summer asked Dr. K.
"I'm trying to locate Data Squad Yellow's bio signature through the central server," she explained. "It's not as difficult as it would be for a normal person given the amount nature of the Bio-Digital field surrounding her body, but Venjix's forces seemed to have found a way of cloaking her. I'm afraid the chances of finding Data Squad Yellow until they reveal themselves are very slim."
"Data Squad Yellow?" asked an annoyed Ben, "Hilary! Her name is Hilary!"
Then Dillon put a firm hand on Ben's shoulder.
"You're angry," he said. "We get it. But, save it for Tenaya. It's not going to help you find her, trust me."
Ben paused, eyes still fuming as he looked up at the Operator. There was something in Dillon's tone that pulled the Blue Ranger from his rage; experience.
"You're not the only person to ever want their sister back," he added quietly.
"Besides," Ziggy added. "That's just how Doc K is. She calls everyone by their code name. At least she used to. Now she seemed to only do it to me…"
"If you must distract yourself then you can spend your time reviewing the modifications to the time vessel," K suggested. "I will let you know if I discover Data Squad Yellow's location."
Ray could still feel his fist tightening, palm squeezing so tight his knuckles were turning white. He couldn't help with the car, he could with the computer. And couldn't stop Hilary from falling into Tenaya's hands. He needed to move before he hit something.
"I'm getting some air," he announced before walking out of the lab.
"Don't wander too far!" K called behind him. "We don't know if Tenaya has plans to capture the rest of you."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Ultimately he made it as far as the garage door before swinging out his fist and unleashing his anger on the roller.
It didn't help.
"That's not really good for your hand," Scott warned as he came up beside him.
"Yeah, I know," Ray admitted. "And I know it won't make me feel better. I just can't sit around and wait for something to happen."
Scott nodded and leaned against the hood of his Silvia.
"This is probably the hardest part of the job," he admitted. "Knowing something's coming, and not being able to do anything but wait."
"This isn't like knowing another monster attack is around the corner," Ray replied. "I'm used to that. But we've never…"
"Had someone taken before?" Scott finished for him.
Ray nodded slowly, a final, silent admittance of his failure. He'd lost his powers, and that had devastated him. But compared to this? He'd have thrown himself in front of Blackout's blast a hundred times if it meant that Hilary was safe. And now she was gone, and it was all his fault.
For a moment, neither said anything, before Scott took a deep breath beside him.
"I know what it's like," he said. "My brother and I were pilots together, both of us crashed during the Battle of Corinth. I spent a whole year hoping that I could save him. I know that if I thought he was still out there, I'd probably still be trying to find him. It's never easy when you lose a member of your team."
Again, Ray nodded. He almost felt guilty. He knew that Hilary was alive, deep within his bones. If Tenaya were going to destroy her, then she'd have done it when she had the chance.
Which meant she was being held for a reason, to lure out the team. To lure out him. Because with Hilary in danger, he couldn't think straight. How could he? How could he think calmly and rationally when she was in peril and he…
The thought stopped itself from finishing, and stubborn refusal to openly acknowledge something he'd known for a long time.
He'd always known.
"We've all lost people," Scott explained. "I lost my brother, Dillon lost his sister. Summer lost the only person who ever believed in her. We know what it's like to want to get to someone so desperately that you'd give anything to do it. You need to know that even though it doesn't feel like it, Doctor K's doing everything she can to find her."
"Yeah…" Ray said softly. "Yeah, I know."
But then the Red Operator said something that caught Ray completely off guard.
"She's more than just a teammate to you, isn't she?" he asked. "Maybe more than a friend?"
Ray's eyes widened, realizing he'd flushed to the same color as his Ranger uniform as he turned to the Series Operator.
"I... ah…" and yet somehow, he couldn't get more of an answer out. Because Scott was right, just as Jake and Johnny were when they interrogated him about it, barely that afternoon. Now it felt like a lifetime ago. But it was true, and deep down he knew it always had been, even if he'd been too frightened to admit it. Because he'd been in love with her from almost the moment they'd met. And he'd never worked up the courage to do anything about it.
Scott could only chuckle as he watched the response.
"How… how did you know?" Ray asked him.
"I have eyes," Scott pointed out. "And I've seen what people will do for those they love. Just a few months ago I watched Summer chase after Dillon into a burning building."
So, it really was that obvious. Sinking lower, Ray's cheeks felt like they were on fire, eyes too embarrassed to even meet Scott's own. But whatever mortification he was feeling wasn't going to help him get Hilary back.
"How do you do it?" he asked. "How do stay so strong for the rest of them?"
Scott shrugged. "It's not easy. But over time you get better at relying on them too. Then you realize that don't have to do as much heavy lifting as you thought. Now come on, let's find a way to get her back."
Ray was about to nod in reply when the whole building began shaking, all other noise drowned out by the sound of propellors. Confused, Ray looked to Scott, who in turn didn't see even the least bit worried.
"Looks like our scouts are back," he noted.
Moments later, three new figures stepped into the garage. The first was a man and woman, both Asian-American and dressed in tracksuits lined with gold and silver. Beside them was the last person Ray ever would have expected.
"Kyle?" he exclaimed, rushing over to the Security Ranger. "But… How?"
"Look," Mason admitted, "I could try and explain, but I'd just get it wrong. But if we get back, you've got Julian to thank."
"We found him out in the wastes…" said the man in gold.
"… blowing Grinders to bits!" the woman finished, making excited explosion sounds for punctuation.
"Made a few friends," Kyle commented with a grin.
Ray and Scott led Kyle into the lab to introduce him to others. The reunion with the other boys was just exciting, and soon Kyle had been all filled in on what had happened.
"Good thing Gem and Gemma here showed up when they did," Kyle admitted. "Or I think I was about to live out that new Terminator movie Jake was talking about."
"That does sound horrifying," the Green Ranger admitted.
Doctor K, meanwhile had focused her attention on the strange device that Kyle said he'd worn on his chest.
"It's an interesting contraption," she admitted. "If not crudely improvised. Who did you say made this?"
"Doctor Julian Benson."
For a moment, just one, Doctor K's eyes flashed, as if hearing a name she'd never expected. Her eyes briefly darted her desk draw, only to return to the matter at hand.
"His decision to follow the trail of tachyon particles proved wise," she decided before returning her calculations.
Then it was Flynn's turn to grab everyone's attention. "Found her!"
"What?' asked Dr. K, anxious to know what Flynn had seen that she had not.
"I found her." He repeated.
"How?" asked an anxious Ray, who had just re-entered the room.
"Well, I figured it was a good idea to scan the city for Grinder activity," Flynn explained. "I utilized the thermal scans from the city's weather regulation algorithm to search for large groupings of the motorized heat and, there they are. Simple, really." He tapped on a few keys and pulled up the security footage. Sure enough, there was a large contingent of Byte-Bots warming around the storage facility.
"So, let's go get her." Johnny decided.
"Wait," said Ray, raising his hand before the Black Ranger could speed off again. "We need a plan."
"Data Squad Red is correct," replied Dr. K, "I will send the Rangers Opperators to retrieve her immediately."
Ray shook his head. "No, for all we know, that could be exactly what they want. You guys hit up the warehouse, and then Mileena's free to strike at the other side of the city. It could too easily be a misdirect."
"Besides," Ben agreed, "It's my sister in there. I'm not just sitting by while she's in trouble."
"An admirable desire Data Squad Blue," replied Dr. K. "But your odds of success are dramatically decreased without your Ranger Digitizing hardware."
"But our Morphers worked before," Jake pointed out. "Surely we could still rely on them in an emergency?"
Doctor K nodded. "When Data Squad Yellow connected to the Corinth city's long-range communicator, she invariably also connected your Morphers to the same wavelength we use for the bio-field in the Ranger series hardware. The connection isn't stable, but it does allow you limited morphing capabilities."
"That doesn't make any sense," Kyle realized. "How could she have done that? You guys would need a Digitizer to connect with the Morphers."
"But we do," K explained. "The original Digitizer technology served as the computational foundation for my own Ranger series hardware. We still utilize it to facilitate rapid deployment of the Zords."
"But for you to have been able to do that then you must have been part of…" Kyle trailed off, his eyes zooming out into the distance as if coming to a realization. But before Ray could enquire further, Johnny jumped with a different question.
"Okay, then if you've figured out how they work, do you even still need our Morphers?" he asked, eying the five colored devices on the workbench. "We can take them back and kick metal but."
"At first I needed them to prove a hypothesis," said K, "but now that my theory is proven, they're a vital component to returning you to your original timeline."
"How are our Morphers going to help us get back?" Ray asked.
Dr. K pressed a few buttons and an image of Scott and Ray appeared on the monitor, each with different lines moving across them.
"Here is a display of your individual chronal rhythms." She stated, "As you can see, Data Squad Red's rhythms are slightly out of sync with Scott's."
"But isn't that normal?" asked Jake.
"Not these kinds of rhythms," she replied, "These chronal rhythms relate directly to the timeline a person belongs to. They were previously thought to be purely theoretical, functionally non-existent."
"And it is proven now because?" continued Johnny.
"Just to be sure, I matched up your rhythms with another Ranger on your team, Data Squad Yellow and Summer As you can see the two Data Squad Rangers have exactly the same chronal-rhythms, whereas the same goes for the Rangers of our timeline."
"Great," replied Johnny, "So why do you need our Morphers?"
"The Morphers monitor the rhythms, and now that I know that you are out of sync with the rest of this timeline, all I need to do is calculate and plot where in the space-time continuum you actually fit. The matching colors-spectrum designations of the Morphers help speed up the calculations immensely, and while I have ample data on my own Ranger Series hardware, yours require additional monitoring."
Kyle turned to the others. "Did anyone catch a word of that?"
Dr. K sighed. "I need to study your Morphers a little longer so I can figure out how to get you home."
"All right, so how do we get my sister back?" asked Ben impatiently
"As I said," Dr. K repeated. "The Ranger Operators will retrieve her."
Suddenly an alarm blared.
"Unless," Flynn corrected, "there's a situation at Gate E that we have to take care of immediately."
"A big situation," Scott agreed, opening the screen to see Mileena before turning to Ray and winking. The RPM rushed out, Gem and Gemma included, leaping into their vehicles and filling the Garage with the roars of engines to leave the rest of the Data team alone in the lab.
"I can't recommend against going into that situation anymore strongly," urged K. "It's almost certainly a trap."
"It definitely is," Ray agreed. "But maybe we can use that to our advantage."
Ray looked back at the monitor that showed the factory, and then at Doctor K.
"Can you bring up the schematics for that building?" he asked. "I have an idea."
The five Rangers converged on the building, splitting into two teams on arrival. Crouching in the bushes by the entry, Jake, Johnny, and Kyle waited in anxious anticipation for their other two teammates to get in position.
"You sure this will work?" asked Jake.
"Why?" Johnny scoffed, "Don't think you can handle them?"
"I never said that," Jake insisted. "They're pretty much the same as Byte-Bots, right?"
"Right."
"Look, I don't how many you've dealt with so far," Kyle warned. "But the ones I faced in that wasteland were serious business. You guys better stay on your toes."
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a pair of silver pistols.
"Whoah, cool," Jake grinned. "where'd you get those?"
"I spoke to some of the city security as we were leaving the Garage," Kyle explained. "I figured they'd come in handy."
"Good thinking. Which one's for me?"
"Neither," said Kyle. "These are mine."
"Why do you get two blasters?" Jake hushed.
"Because you have superpowers and I don't!"
Both of them were so busy with their hushed argument that they realized too late that Johnny was already up and moving.
"All right," Jake decided. "So Ray said he'd work around what we were doing, so we talk about how we- aaaaand he's already going over there."
Rather than take the subtle approach, Johnny had begun striding from the bushes, and the Grinders titled their heads in confusion as they saw the long-haired teen walking towards them. No stance, no fear; nothing. Slowly, they all stopped what they were doing and converged on Johnny.
"Heya fellas," Johnny announced. "I thought maybe we'd have a bit of a talk?"
And then, with all the Grinders gathered around him, he slammed his fist directly into the one in front of him.
"Good talk."
The Grinders lunged, piling on as Johnny's feet danced along the concrete, weaving between the strikes before launching on the offense. From the bushes, Kyle and Jake could only stare, gobsmacked at their teammate's direct approach. But there was no going back now.
Shrugging, Kyle, and Jake bounded from their hiding place, catching the Grinders on the edges before they could corner their teammate. Forming ranks, back to back three of them held their guards, ready for the onslaught that was coming.
On the other side of the building, Ray peered out from his hiding spot. "Think they'll be okay?"
"They'll be fine," Ben replied, although from his tone Ray could tell that he was just as jumpy. "What were they going to make the signal again?"
As if to answer his question, a Grinder was sent soaring through the nearby window.
"Probably that," Ray reasoned.
The two slowly crept their way along the wall, careful not to alert any Grinders that weren't rushing to fight the other three Rangers. Then, as Ray flattened against the building, Ben began making his way up the wall, crawling up the brickwork until he found the window. Carefully prying it open, he lowered a hand to help Ray up to the second floor.
Four Grinders were standing guard, all focusing their attention on the main entrance instead of the windows that surrounded them. At the other end of the room, just within a sprint's distance, was a staircase leading to a half-loft loft above. Ready to go, Ben signaled to Ray before moving up to the Byte-Bots.
"Hey guys," he said loudly. "Don't suppose you know where the bathroom is around here?"
The first bot took a punch before it could even react, swinging wildly as Ben's feet spun to avoid it. The rest were on him in seconds. From the corner, Ray watched, torn between helping his friend and pushing onward. But this was the plan. Ben was doing his part, now Ray had to do his.
Seizing his chance, Ray bolted for the stairs, leaving his friend to distract and manage the guards. He was careful to keep his footsteps light, knowing full well how easily the creaky building could betray him. As reached the top, he poked out the tip of his head to survey the loft.
Hilary was sitting on the ground with her back to the stairs, tied to a post and alone. Tenaya was nowhere to be seen. Careful to not count his blessings or draw any attention, Ray slowly emerged from the stairwell and crept toward Hilary.
"Hey," he whispered softly, causing Hilary to jump at the sudden sound of his voice.
"Whoa, Ray? Don't sneak up on me like that!" But even in her surprise, Ray could hear the mix of gratitude and concern in her voice. "What are you doing here? Don't you know this is a trap?"
"Yeah, I've got others on that," Ray confirmed, before looking down at her restraints. They seemed to be an ordinary set of handcuffs with a digital number lock. "These are all that's stopping you from leaving?"
"They're stronger than they look," she replied. "They've got some sort of electromagnetic lock, I can't break them until it's gone."
Ray nodded and looked back at the digital dial. He focused on it and a narrow laser beam shot out from his eyes, burning the lock until it broke.
"Okay, now try."
Hilary nodded and activated her metal form, pulling the cuffs apart with ease. "Much better."
"It won't be for much longer."
The voice snarled from the shadows, echoing off the walls from a direction neither could determine. Suddenly Tenaya lunged from beneath, soaring up onto the loft from the floor below, standing between the teens and the exit. On instinct, Ray and Hilary stepped back, but as they turned they saw Ginders blocking the stairs.
Trapped.
"It's like a told you," Tenya smirked, gracefully taking a sly step toward them. "I am your thoughts and minds."
"We get it!" Hilary shot back.
Ray and Hilary immediately jumped into action, making for the Grinders as the horde surged to intercept. They stood back-to-back, moving in wheel-like motion as they each struck where the other was blind. One came to Ray, its arm blocked as another rushed in as Hilary met it, spinning around to kick it in the face for Ray to skid around and strike down another as it aimed to catch her from behind.
Then Hilary spun, eyes widening.
"Ray!"
He didn't need to ask she meant, he knew. He narrowed his eyes and fired, beams bursting from his gaze straight at her. Just as the liquid metal coated her skin. They refracted off the surface, bouncing back past Ray into the two Grinders behind.
Then, with the wreckage of wires at their feet, they turned to face Tenaya.
"Your turn?" Ray taunted.
"I thought you'd never ask."
She put on her visor and leaped at the two Rangers. Her blows were fast and furious, each one pushing Ray and Hilary further and further back. Ray reached in, hoping to catch strike and lock up the arms. But Tenya's joints moved with inhuman flexibility, snaking around his grip to pull unnervingly close to his.
With her limbs locked in and occupied, Hilary struck in hard, but Tenaya was far more mobile than they were ready for. Swatting Ray aside, she stepped back and kicked, heel cracking across Hilary's face to send her sprawling to the ground. Then the cyborg flipped as Ray tried grabbing her again, planting her hand as a fulcrum on his shoulder as she soared over and dropped to sweep his legs. She was already moving in as he hit the ground, just as Hilary made it in.
Metal form active, the Yellow Ranger went for strength over speed, forcing Tenaya to move backward instead of blocking. But as Ray flipped to his feet to join them, Tenaya found her opening, spinning a kick into Hilary's chest. She may have been smaller but she was still an android, and there was enough strength behind the precision blow to knock Hilary back and off balance. Ray moved behind the stop her, bracing as Hilary pushed into him to remain upright.
"Time for a battle plan," she suggested as the metal receded into her flesh.
Tenaya was watching them, waiting patiently for them to go again. Like a cat toying with its prey. Then Ray spied a small pile of gas canisters in the corner of the room.
"Think you can get her over there?" he asked with an indicating nod.
"I think so," Hilary confirmed. "Just give me a second to get to get ready."
"Right."
"Are you coming or what?" taunted Tenaya.
"Oh, I'm coming all right!"
Twin lasers flashed from his eyes, bursting into a spray of sparks on impact with her chest. The move caught her by surprise, her hand slapping the singed catsuit and feet shifting with the briefest of stumbles. With the only window he was getting already beginning to close, Ray surged forward.
His feet launched from the floor, picking up speed to lunge into a powerful flying kick. But Tenaya was already done dousing the embers, and her head whipped up to see him coming. Even beneath a visor, Ray could see the playful smirk as her hand lashed out and swatted. His feet hit the ground, momentum still carrying as he pressed forward as his fists flurried into a series of punches.
But still, they weren't enough.
"You're good," Tenaya admitted, his first curling around his wrist as she grabbed the last of his blows, "But not good enough."
But then he saw Hilary in the corner of his eyes, metal coating active with a large cinder block in her hands. He couldn't help it, the small flicker of a grin twitched at the corner of his mouth.
"Maybe not," He conceded. "But I'm a pretty good distraction. Hilary, now!"
He snapped his arm free before dropping into a spin, foot jutting high to plunge into her stomach. Anyone else and that would've been enough to drop them, but it was still enough to throw Tenya's robotic constitution off balance. The perfect target for Hilary's hurling concrete blocks.
As Tenaya stumbled, the blocks collided, shattering into dust as the impact threw her across the room. From his crouch, dived back, rolling to his feet before spinning and rising at Hilary's side. Then he narrowed his eyes at Tenya's feet, twin beams scorching from his gaze toward the tanks.
From where she stood, Tenaya realized too late. Seeing the targeted fuel, her eyes could only widen as she realized, "Oh…"
The tanks detonated on impact. They burst into a blazing ball, flames surging in all directions as Hilary threw herself over Ray and tackled him to the floor. The blast ripped outwards, rocking the entire building as the very walls cracked and buckled from the shock. From where she stood, Tenaya had nowhere to go, the explosion engulfing her at point-blank range and sweeping her up with deadly force. It hurled her across the room, rocketing her through the air toward the great glass window at the end. The glass shattered into a million pieces as they collided, barely cushioning the flight as she just kept on going, body flinging well and truly out of view.
The final shards of the tanks clattered to the ground as the smoke settled in the room. From the ground, Ray smiled up at Hilary.
"Thanks for the save."
"Right back at you," she grinned.
For a moment, they lay there, smiles light and airy as they each appreciated the other's heroics. Enjoying the moment alone, just each other, no one else.
"You just had to go for the grand finale, didn't you?" Laughed Ben from the floor below.
The moment gone, each snapped away, their cheeks flushing scarlets as their eyes looked desperately for anywhere but each other. Rising to their feet, they peered over the edge to examine Ben's handiwork. The Grinders he'd been fighting were now a mess of parts and wires, and further down they could no longer hear sounds of the other battle.
They'd done it.
"Let's back to the garage," Ray decided, "Before the Terminatrix recovers and decides to make a comeback."
Having made it through by the skin of their teeth, the Rangers regrouped and retreated, all hoping desperately that K had, at last, found them a way home.
